DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Even as the ongoing Kharif sowing season has just attained half-way, the sternous efforts by the Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann to exhort farmers to adopt Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR) in the state got a major boost with this water saving technique already witnessing a 15 per cent increase in the area contrasted to the last year. Over 2 lakh acres of area has already been sown using DSR technique, which was 1.72 lakh acres in the whole Kharif season last year.

Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian, while terming it a great success, hoped to accomplish 5 lakh acres of area under DSR this season, as targeted by the Agriculture Department.

He further said that Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government has been providing Rs.1500 financial assistance to encourage the farmers to adopt DSR technique. The Agriculture and Farmers Welfare department has allocated Rs.50 crore to provide financial assistance to such farmers opting this technique during 2024-25.

The Punjab Government had provided Rs.20.33 crore as a financial assistance to 17,116 farmers for adopting DSR during the year 2023-24, S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian informed while urging the farmers to join hands with the state government to save the groundwater by opting DSR.

He said that farmers, who have opted for the DSR, need to register on the government portal agrimachinerypb.com till July 15, 2024 to get the financial assistance.

The Agriculture Minister said that the DSR technique not only helps in conserving water but also reduces labor costs and gives high-yields.
(editor@dailyworld.in)