Yet another Punjab bid to wean farmers off paddy cycle fails as DSR remains a nonstarter

CHANDIGARH:  The Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR) technique for paddy, being promoted by the cash-strapped AAP government in Punjab by offering a financial incentive, is a nonstarter. The technique is aimed at replacing the decades-old water-guzzling paddy crop cultivation.

The government has offered an incentive of Rs 1,500 per acre to farmers as it plans to bring 12 lakh hectares under the groundwater-saving technique. Most farmers have shown little interest in it as only 2.06 lakh hectares have come under the DSR in much less coverage than even last year’s.

The technique involves cutting down the traditional Puddled Transplanting of Rice method. The farmers’ unions held a meeting on Wednesday and decided to launch a struggle on the issue.

Sources said agriculture department officials are verifying the farmers’ claims for the registered coverage of the new technique in 2.06 lakh hectares.

The verification will continue until July 10, as paddy sowing will carry on up to July 25. Another verification will take place after July 25.

Last year, 5.62 lakh acres of land was under DSR by the end of the sowing season — the highest coverage recorded under DSR. In 2020, it was 5.40 lakh hectares and in 2019, 23,500 hectares came under DSR for paddy cultivation.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has been promoting the DSR technique to curb depletion of groundwater.

Sources said heat waves in May-June and disrupted power supply during the paddy sowing period are the main reason for the reduced DSR coverage.

Before the sowing takes place, the land needs to be moistened, a process that could not be followed due to power failures.

Groundwater is overexploited in 117 out of the 150 blocks. In the conventional puddling method, an estimated 5,000 gallons of water are required to produce a kg of rice.

Talking about the issue, Jhanda Singh, an office-bearer of Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan), the largest farmers’ union of the state, said, “We have decided to launch a struggle on the issue, but the details are yet to be decided. The dip in the level of sub-soil water and the pollution of all water resources has turned into a huge crisis for the people of Punjab. Under the pretext of this crisis, the central and state governments have started allowing multinational firms to begin water trade.”

Area covered less than last year’s

The Punjab government has offered an incentive of Rs 1,500 per acre to farmers for adopting the Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR) technique for paddy, as it plans to bring 12 lakh hectares under the groundwater-saving technique.

Most farmers have shown little interest in it as only 2.06 lakh hectares have come under the DSR. Last year, 5.62 lakh acres of land was under DSR by the end of the sowing season.