PepsiCo India aims to implement direct seeding technology for paddy cultivation in over 4,000 acres of land in the next paddy season in Punjab.
The new method is likely to save 30 per cent water. It aims to implement this in over 550 acres (for the Basmati variety) in the state this season.
The company also aims to implement this on 1,000 acres of land reaching out to around 600 farmers across the country this season. It has entered into an buy-back agreement with the farmers, whose lands have been cultivated under the new methodology.
The traditional method of growing paddy is by planting seeds in a small nursery and then transplanting the sapling manually after about four weeks to the main cultivation area. The saplings are then allowed to grow in the fields filled with about 3 to 4 inches water. This
