Samrala ADO urges farmers to adopt direct seeding for paddy

The Punjab Agriculture and Family Welfare Department is motivating the farmers of Samrala block to leave the conventional paddy sowing methods and adopt the DSR technique for sowing paddy.

Agriculture Development Officer (ADO), Samrala, Dr Sandeep Singh is making single-handed efforts to exhort the farmers to use the direct sowing technique which he says is urgent and the only solution to the problem of fast receding water table which has caused some of the districts to be categorised under red zone. “The Punjab government is much concerned about the receding water table. The government has also announced Rs 1.500 per acre to farmers opting for direct seeding of rice (DSR) technique in the coming paddy season,” said the Agriculture Development Officer.

“Lowering of water table, deteriorating soil health and scarcity of labour at peak hours should force us to rethink and adopt the technique of direct sowing which has far better results than the traditional methods,” added Dr Sandeep Singh. “The advantages of DSR technique are not one but many. Apart from saving water which is the elixir of life, DSR technique saves labour, requires less water and ensures early crop maturity. The technique should be adopted in a sensible and thoughtful manner keeping in mind some basic things like optimum sowing time, optimum seed rate, timely weed and water management. DSR can go a long way in retaining soil health and saving the most important resource, which is water,” he asserted. “DSR technique also decreases methane emissions, thus contributing to a cleaner environment. It also reduces input costs and increases farmers’ profitability,” he added.

Motivated by the ADO, farmers including Bir Singh of Chak Mafi village, Baldev Singh of village Rajewal, Satveer Singh, Kulwinder Singh and Surendra Singh of village Sarwarpur have successfully adopted direct sowing techniques. The ADO stated that these farmers have been practising DSR technique for the last four to five years. By adopting this technique, these farmers not only reduce the cost of paddy cultivation but also get more price for their produce of the next crop, especially potatoes.

Providing them tips to enable the method to turn out to be successful at the end, the Agriculture Development Officer is warning the farmers to take mandatory technical help in the first year of their direct sowing so that they may never think of turning to the traditional methods. “In the absence of expert advice, they may land in trouble,” the ADO cautioned.

Ludhiana