Ludhiana (Punjab):Non-basmati rice sown on 96% area as paddy cultivation in full swing

By Nitin Jain

A whopping 96 per cent of the total area being put under paddy in Ludhiana district has already been cultivated with non-basmati rice in Ludhiana district as the current Kharif sowing season 2024-25 nears end, the government has confirmed.

While 4 per cent of the cultivated area so far was sown with basmati rice, 0.48 per cent of the total 2.56-lakh hectares, which was maximum area being put under paddy cultivation in the state, was cultivated through direct seeding of rice (DSR), in which seeds are sown in the field rather than by transplanting seedlings from the nursery, the official figures have revealed.

According to the data compiled by the Agriculture Department, a total of 2,56,500 hectares were expected to be put under paddy cultivation in the district this season, of which 2,50,758 hectares were so far sown, including 2,39,500 hectares with non-basmati rice, accounting for 95.51 per cent, 10,050 hectares with basmati, accounting for 4 per cent, and 1,208 hectares of area was cultivated through the DSR technique, which was mere 0.48 per cent of the total area cultivated in the district so far.

Officials claim that the government ran an extensive awareness and education drive to motivate farmers to opt for the DSR, for which Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had given a clarion call to save water and natural resources in the agrarian state.

The block-wise paddy sowing figure revealed that the Sidhwan Bet block has topped the district with the maximum of 32,957 hectares of area already put under paddy cultivation while the Ludhiana block has witnessed the minimum paddy sowing on 12,650 hectares.

The Sidhwan Bet block has cultivated 32,500 hectares with non-basmati rice, 350 hectares with basmati, and 107 hectares of area was sown through the DSR.

Among other blocks, Ludhiana has cultivated 12,400 hectares with non-basmati rice, 210 hectares with basmati, and 40 hectares with DSR, Mangat 29,000 hectares non-basmati, 375 hectares basmati, 157 hectares DSR, Pakhowal 21,200 hectares non-basmati, 600 hectares basmati, 110 DSR, Sudhar 27,500 hectares non-basmati, 850 hectares basmati, 103 hectares DSR, Jagraon 27,100 hectares non-basmati, 3,300 hectares basmati, 200 hectares DSR, Dehlon 19,130 hectares non-basmati, 410 hectares basmati, 98 hectares DSR, Doraha 17,900 hectares non-basmati, 500 hectares basmati, 36 hectares DSR, Khanna 17,970 hectares non-basmati, 1,050 hectares basmati, 105 hectares DSR, Samrala 12,200 hectares non-basmati, 1,755 hectares basmati, 42 hectares DSR, and the Machhiwara block has so far put 22,600 hectares under non-basmati, 650 hectares basmati, and 210 hectares was sown with the DSR technique.

Farmers, who have cultivated their land with the DSR technique, have applied for subsidy, which were being verified for releasing them financial assistance of Rs 1,500 per acre as announced by the state government.

DSR cultivators to be incentivised: Minister

“We will be releasing Rs 1,500 per acre financial assistance to farmers, who had opted for the DSR technique, as per directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. We will also continue to motivate the peasants to shun traditional paddy sowing and opt for the DSR technique, which saves the natural resources,” said Gurmeet Singh Khudian, Agriculture Minister

This article has been republished from The Tribune.