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The diversification of agriculture from paddy to maize may remain a pipe dream for Punjab government as the Government of newly created state Telangana is making efforts for setting up of Directorate of Maize Research (DMR) in the state.
Government of Punjab, last year got an approval from the Union Ministry of Agriculture to set up DMR in the state to develop hybrid and high yielding varieties of maize.
Indian Council of Agriculture Research proposed to seek 250 acre of land for setting up the centre. Punjab government announced to transfer 100 acre of land in Laddowal near Ludhiana for DMR. But the transfer of land has been hanging a fire. The senior officials in the Punjab Agriculture department declined to comment on that.
Due to dwindling water table in the state and the compulsions of growing paddy (a kharif crop that is a water guzzler), the state government has been planning to divert agriculture from wheat-paddy rotation.
The state government expects to reduce area under paddy from 28 lakh hectare to 16 lakh hectare in next few years. Maize is the most suitable alternative kharif crop to paddy. While paddy requires 22 rounds of irrigation in a season, 8 to 10 rounds of irrigation are sufficient for maize. It saves not only water but substantial amount of free power doled out by the state power utilities to the farmers. Less irrigation also means less expenditure incurred on diesel to run tubewells by the farmers.
