Ambala plans to go big with maize, urad cultivation

Jaskaran Singh | TNN | Apr 29, 2020, 13:59 IST

AMBALA: The agriculture and farmers welfare department has proposed to cultivate maize and urad (black gram) on 4,000 hectares and 1,000 hectares, respectively, in Ambala district in the 2020 kharif (summer sown) season. Department officials said maize was sown over only 900 hectares while urad acreage was nil.
As per the figures shared by the agriculture department, maize would be grown over 1,000 hectares each in Naraingarh and Shahzadpur blocks; 700 hectares each in Barara and Saha; and 300 hectares each in Ambala-I and Ambala-II blocks of the district.
Similarly, urad would be sown over 300 hectares each in Naraingarh and Shahzadpur; 150 hectares each in Barara and Saha; and 50 hectares each in Ambala-I and Ambala-II blocks.
The Ambala agriculture officials said in a recent meeting with the state director general (DG) of agriculture, it was proposed that the area under maize and urad would be increased to save water and promote crop diversification in the district.
Ambala deputy director agriculture (DDA) Girish Nagpal said, “The state agriculture DG has given an assurance that both maize and urad will be procured on MSP. To save water and diversify crops, we have planned to bring more area under maize and urad in the coming kharif season. ”