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Hindustan Times
7 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Paddy sowing from June 1: Punjab farmers opting for water-guzzling varieties a big worry
Chandigarh : Punjab is set to commence paddy transplantation from June 1, despite warnings from agricultural experts about the ecological risks involved and ongoing issues related to banned crop varieties. Officials in the state agriculture department have said many farmers still continue to prefer the cultivation of the long-duration, water-guzzling PUSA 44 and PR 126 varieties, despite bans and advisories against their use. According to people privy of the matter, the government lacks effective mechanisms to monitor or prevent the cultivation of these banned varieties once sowing begins, raising concerns about the sustainability of Punjab's water resources. Punjab's decision to advance the paddy transplantation date —originally delayed to conserve groundwater — has faced strong criticism from agricultural scientists and environmentalists. Despite petitions filed with the National Green Tribunal, the state government issued a notification allowing staggered transplantation beginning June 1. According to the notification, transplantation will start on June 1 in Faridkot, Bathinda, Ferozepur, Muktsar and Fazilka; from June 5 in Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Rupnagar, SAS Nagar, Fatehgarh Sahib, and Hoshiarpur; and from June 9 in Ludhiana, Malerkotla, Mansa, Moga, Patiala, Sangrur, Barnala, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar. Direct seeding of rice (DSR) is permitted statewide from May 15 to 31. Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) former vice-chancellor BS Dhillon condemned the decision, stating: 'Shifting the transplantation date back to June 1 undermines years of effort since 2009 to conserve Punjab's groundwater and pushes the state towards ecological disaster.' Controversy over PUSA 44, PR 126 With the announcement of early sowing, farmers in the state are preferring long-duration water-guzzling PUSA44 which gives the highest rice outturn ratio (OTR) against the short-duration varieties. However, it produces higher crop residue about 15-20% more raising hackles of experts who warned that it might lead to a spurt in farm fires. Though Punjab has banned the variety which has been discontinued by its producer Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), farmers are purchasing seeds from Haryana and Rajasthan. 'The long duration variety of 150 days is suffering varietal fatigue and needs 20% more water for irrigation,' said Gurdev Singh Khush, World Food Prize laureate and eminent rice-breeder fondly known as 'father of rice revolution'. 'We are making efforts that farmers do not cultivate PUSA 44 and also avoid PR 126 which caused problems to the farmers at time of selling the produce during the last season,' said a senior officer in the state agriculture department. The sale of seeds has been banned but there is no mechanism to stop cultivation of banned varieties, he added. A senior agriculture official from Ludhiana said, 'The decision to allow early transplantation appears to appease farmers and rice millers lobbying for higher OTR through PUSA 44. The PAU has alternative short-duration varieties like PR 131 and PR 132, but enforcement of bans on PUSA 44 remains weak.' PAU vice-chancellor Dr SS Gosal said that 22,000 quintals of short-duration paddy seeds have been sold, enough to cover at least 3 lakh acres. He also advised that late transplantation —up to mid-July — could achieve better results while conserving water. Punjab's water crisis Punjab faces a severe groundwater crisis, with an annual decline of nearly one metre. The state's 14.5 lakh irrigation tubewells are critical for crop survival during dry pre-monsoon months. The government's earlier delay in paddy transplantation was meant to coincide with the monsoon onset in July, reducing water demand during the hottest months when evaporation rates and irrigation needs rise by 10-15%. The National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee, has warned that continued groundwater depletion could render Punjab a desert in the near future. Despite these challenges, paddy cultivation covers over 30 lakh hectares annually in Punjab, driven by assured procurement under the minimum support price (MSP), which is set at ₹2,320 per quintal for 2024. Chief minister Bhagwant Mann defended the early transplantation policy, stating it would ensure better-quality crops with lower moisture levels reach mandis, minimising rejection and farmer losses. He said the availability of short-duration varieties and assured farmers that hybrid seeds would not be allowed. Mann also noted that full canals would support irrigation, reducing dependence on groundwater.
Time of India
23-04-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Punjab govt advances paddy transplantation despite expert warnings and legal challenge
Representative Image BATHINDA: Despite the hue and cry made by agri scientists and the matter raised with the National Green Tribunal against the advancement of the dates for allowing the transplantation of paddy in Punjab , the state govt remained firm in its decision about early sowing of paddy. On Wednesday, it issued the notification about the dates for starting paddy transplantation in a staggered manner from June 1. The Punjab agriculture department administrative secretary issued the notification under section 3, subsection (1) and (2) of the Punjab Preservation of Sub-soil Water Act, 2009, in the name of the Governor of Punjab. It notified the start of direct seeding of rice (DSR) in the entire state from May 15, which will continue until May 31. Paddy transplantation will start from June 1 in the districts of Faridkot, Bathinda, Ferozepur, Muktsar, and Fazilka. From June 5, it will begin in the districts of Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Amritsar, Tarn Taran , Roopnagar, SAS Nagar, Fatehgarh Sahib, and Hoshiarpur. From June 9, it will start in the districts of Ludhiana, Malerkotla, Mansa, Moga, Patiala, Sangrur, Barnala, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar . A number of noted agri scientists and experts, including Dr SS Johl, former Chairman, Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices/Chancellor, Central University of Punjab; Dr GS Khush, World Food Prize Laureate, Emeritus Professor, University of California; Dr Rattan Lal , World Food Prize Laureate, Distinguished University Professor of Soil Science; Dr BS Dhillon, former Vice Chancellor, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana; Dr JS Samra, former CEO, National Rain-fed Area Authority; Dr Jai Rup Singh, former Vice Chancellor, Guru Nanak Dev University; and Kahan Singh Pannu , former Secretary Agriculture, Punjab, urged Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to reconsider the decision of advancing paddy transplantation. They termed the decision catastrophic, citing the depleting groundwater table. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Liverpool UK Cruises Might Exceed Expectations | UK Cruises From Liverpool Read More Undo Advocate Hari Chand Arora filed a petition in the National Green Tribunal against the advancement of paddy transplantation. NGT registered the petition, and it is expected to be taken up soon. Even the Punjab Water Regulation and Development Authority (PWRDA), in its communication to the additional chief secretary of agriculture on April 7, recommended delaying paddy transplantation in Punjab. PWRDA constituted a committee for research and development (R&D) of water-efficient crop cultivars under the chairmanship of BS Dhillon, former Vice Chancellor of Punjab Agriculture University. The committee interacted with scientists from PAU, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), CCS Haryana Agriculture University, Indian Institute of Maize Research (IIMR), ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute Jodhpur, ICAR-Indian Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology Ranchi, Borlaug Institute of South Asia, ICAR-Central Institute of Post-Harvest Technology, and ICAR-Central Institute of Cotton Research, Sirsa. The committee, in its interim report, made various recommendations, including delaying paddy transplantation. It recommended that to save water resources, the initiation of paddy transplanting must be aligned with the arrival of the monsoon, i.e., around June 30. At present, transplanting is allowed to start from June 20, but it needs to be delayed stepwise to June 30 or so, and as a first step, June 23 may be fixed as the starting date. Punjab's former Secretary of Agriculture, Kahan Singh Pannu, said that despite raising the issue, the state govt has failed to review its decision of advancing paddy transplantation, a move being seen as pushing Punjab towards certain desertification. Given the depleting water table, paddy transplantation and reducing the area under paddy are direly needed, and the notification of advancing transplantation is painful for Punjab.
