Punjab Farmers Demand Guaranteed Supplies of Basmati and Maize

The district administration is doing everything it can to persuade paddy farmers to switch to direct rice sowing techniques.

However, the goal of bringing 12 lakh hectares of land under DSR (direct seeding of rice) appears to be a long way off, since farmers are sceptical of the Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Department's claims concerning yield in cost of inputs.

Farmers in the region have urged Chief Minister Punjab Bhagwant Singh Mann to get MSP and assured procurement of basmati and maize to encourage more farmers to replace paddy transplantation with direct seeding, recognizing the administration's and AAP legislators' efforts to raise awareness about the issue.

Legislators from the Aam Aadmi Party, Jaswant Singh Gajjanmajra, Manvinder Singh Giaspura, Jiwan Singh Sangowal, Sarabjit Kaur Manuke, and Hakam Singh Thekedar, have been working hard to raise awareness about the importance of replacing paddy transplantation with direct rice seeding for water conservation.

Farmers were informed that if they chose the DSR, they would be entitled to an extra payment of Rs 1,500 per acre from the state government.

DC Malerkotla Sanyam Aggarwal and Surbhi Malik, the Ludhiana DC, have been organizing special camps, seminars, and in-person training sessions for paddy growers to resolve their problems.

The trainees discussed many features of cropping patterns as well as the obstacles of using the DSR approach. During numerous seminars, pest management, rodent management, and weeding were among the topics covered.

Farmers headed by Baldev Singh Latala of the All India Kisan Sabha noted that several farmers in the region had previously lost money owing to the substitution of conventional paddy farming methods with DSR.

"If the government is serious about addressing the issue of water table depletion, it should announce guaranteed basmati procurement after announcing the MSP and ensure that maize is acquired at the MSP," Latala added.