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Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday exhorted the farmers to go for direct seeding of rice(Known as DSR tech) in a big way during the current Kharif Season.

While chairing a meeting of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha led by its coordinator Dr. Darshan Pal at Punjab Bhawan, Punjab CM sought inputs from the representatives of nearly 23 farmers’ organisations present in the meeting to suggest the state government for providing staggered power supply to the agriculture sector thus facilitating the farmers for sowing paddy through DSR technology and the conventional paddy transplantation.

Bhagwant Mann said the proposed staggered power supply would help in avoiding the peak load during the paddy sowing season. The CM also suggested ensuring equitable power supply through PSPCL as per region-wise demand, thus dividing the entire state into four zones. Mann also directed the officers to visit the villages to encourage farmers to adopt the DSR technique during the ensuing paddy season to save electricity plus water. Earlier, Bharti Kisan Union Ekta Ugrahan, led by its President Joginder Singh Ugrahan, called on the CM at his residence, who also solicited views from him for the promotion of DSR technology.

The Punjab Chief Minister, showing concern over the findings of a study conducted by PAU experts, noted that it is a high time to shift from the paddy transplantation to the economically viable, eco-friendly DSR technique, which would go a long way in saving the groundwater up to 15-20% besides enhancing recharging the underground water by 10-15% and saving nearly INR 3000 per acre on input costs such as labour.

Motivating the farmers to opt for diversification of agriculture by sowing alternative crops like pulses, sugarcane, maize, and oilseeds, the Punjab CM assured the farmers that the state government would soon take up the issue of giving Minimum Support Prices on these crops. The Centre has added state agencies like Markfed to be roped in for procurement of aforesaid alternative crops on MSP. Bhagwant Mann also urged the farmers to go for sowing of paddy varieties viz. PR 126 and PR 121 with a short duration of maturity, while the cultivation of Pusa 144 should be discouraged.

He further asked the representatives of farmers’ unions to encourage the farmers at the ground level to sow basmati as it was a less water-intensive crop and fetches a remunerative price as compared to paddy.  He also didn’t forget to assure the farmers that the state government would extend all possible marketing support for the purchase of basmati.

Emphasizing the need to restore the canal irrigation system, the CM also directed the Water Resources department to immediately make a detailed action programme to clean water channels, canals, and distributaries to ensure smooth flow of water up to the tail ends.