‘Punjab aims 1 mn hectares under basmati crop in paddy sowing season’

Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian on Wednesday said the state government aims to bring 10 lakh hectares under the basmati crop in the paddy sowing season.

Khuddian, who was chairing a review meeting with the department officials here at his office, said around ten lakh hectares of area will be brought under the aromatic crop in 2024-25 against 5.96 lakh hectares last year.

Taking cognizance of the favourable results of the direct seeding of rice (DSR) technique, Khudian also directed the department officials to pull up their socks to bring more area under the DSR.

“To encourage maximum farmers to adopt the DSR technique, the Punjab government is providing Rs 1,500 per acre as financial aid to them,” he said.

He further informed that the department has planned to bring two lakh hectares of paddy (non-basmati) under this technique during the ongoing sowing season, which was 1.70 lakh hectares last year.

The agriculture minister also reviewed the progress of biofertilizer testing labs being set up at Gurdaspur, Bathinda and SAS Nagar (Mohali) to ensure the quality.

Special Chief Secretary (Development) KAP Sinha apprised the minister that Rs 80 lakh has already been earmarked for Gurdaspur lab and equipment would be purchased soon.

This article has been republished from The Business Standard.