The Punjab government has designated 2.7 million hectares under paddy cultivation this Kharif season, an increase of 100,000 hectares over the previous year’s target. Also, it is expecting that that the actual production of rice would touch 10.8 million tonnes (mt) this season.
However, agri experts in the state maintained that the actual area would cross 2.8 million hectares in this Kharif season. They cited that even last year, the government had set a target to bring 2.6 million hectares under paddy cultivation, but the total area surpassed the designated target and touched 2.8 million hectares despite a delayed monsoon and scanty rainfall and the total production of the rice was 11.23 mt.
Speaking to Business Standard, sources in Punjab Agriculture Department said, “In this Kharif season we are targeting to bring 2.7 million hectares under paddy cultivation and expecting a production of 10.8 mt of rice. Last year, the total area under paddy touched 2.8 million hectares against the targeted area of 2.6 million hectares.” However, the exact area will come into picture once the transplantation begins from June 10.
The area under Basmati cultivation is likely to increase by over 37,000 hectares this season as compared with the corresponding period last year. On being asked about Basmati cultivation, he said, “This Kharif season the area under Basmati would not more than .6 million hectares, as compared to .513 million hectares last year. He added further that farmers would go for high yielding varieties like PUSA 1121 which had been accorded Basmati status by the Centre.
The sowing season is to start from June 10. The Punjab government has directed the farmers not to grow paddy before June 10 in view of depleting water table in the state. The state had also introduced Punjab Preservation of Subsoil water Ordinance 2008 to prevent the early plantation of paddy in the state.
As, the state does not allow to transplant paddy before June 10, and with the entire state transplanting paddy in one go, the problem of labour shortage occurred last year as the migrant labourers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh remained hooked to their parent state on account of NREGA scheme which has been implemented successfully in their respective states. So, to avoid such situation and to counter the problem of shrinking farm labourers, the Punjab government is also emphasising on mechanisation in fields this Kharif season.
It is worth mentioning that the present agriculture cropping pattern in the state is dominated by the wheat paddy rotation. Wheat and paddy cover major portion of the gross cropped area as area under these two crops has increased to 77 per cent in 2006-07 from 47 per cent in 1970-71.