In a video message, Mann, while giving a clarion call to the farmers, asked them to bring more agricultural land under direct sowing of paddy instead of the traditional paddy transplantation.
New Delhi: In a bid to encourage direct paddy farming and save water, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday announced that his government will provide financial assistance of Rs 1,500 per acre of land to all farmers for the direct seeding of paddy.
Taking to Twitter, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said, “Today government has decided to give Rs 1,500 per acre assistance to every farmer doing direct cultivation of paddy.
My appeal to farmer colleagues – Inspire your friends and relatives to do direct cultivation of paddy. This will increase the yield of paddy and we have to save the water of the soil of Punjab.”
Notably, in direct seeding of paddy cultivation, pre-germinated seeds are directly drilled into the field.
In this method of cultivation, flooding of fields is not done during sowing which saves water. Plus, this method of paddy cultivation is less labour-intensive.
In a video message, Mann, while giving a clarion call to the farmers, asked them to bring more agricultural land under direct sowing of paddy instead of the traditional paddy transplantation.
The AAP leader said the farmers could start the direct sowing of rice from May 20.
He further added that the state government would not only provide Rs 1,500 per acre financial help but the Agriculture Department would also extend requisite cooperation and support for it.
Expressing concern over the decreasing groundwater table, the Chief Minister emphasised that the traditional methods of paddy cultivation waste a lot of water and that there is urgent to save the resource adding some districts had fallen in the red zone category.
This technique will also be helpful in getting increased production of wheat in the fields, where direct sowing of paddy was adopted.
