E-Paper
Barnala farmers show the way, go for direct seeding of paddy
In the DSR method, seeds are sown in the field rather than by transplanting seedlings from the nursery, thus saving water and labour
Moving away from the traditional practice, farmers in Barnala district are going for direct seeding of rice (DSR) this khairf season.
In the DSR method, seeds are sown in the field rather than by transplanting seedlings from the nursery, thus saving water and labour.
Gurpreet Singh, a farmer from Tajoke village in Barnala, has opted for this alternative method on 36 acres of land. Gurpreet owns 30 acres and took another six acres on lease. Earlier, he used to cultivate paddy with traditional methods. “The direct sowing of paddy saves money on labour and water,” he said.
Officials said paddy on around 500 acres of land in the village is being sown using the DSR method.
Another farmer Buta Singh from the same village has adopted the DSR method on 15 acres of his 26 acres land. Last year, he had used the technique on 10 acres.
Barnala chief agriculture officer Charanjit Singh Kainth said that village-level camps and “nukkad” meetings were held to promote DSR technique for paddy sowing. As of now, 19 special camps have been held to promote the technique and the department was conducting special field visits to sensitise farmers.
Kainth said 1.13 lakh hectare is under paddy cultivation in the district of which 25,000 to 30,000 acres is expected to be under the DSR, which is 20% more than the last year.
He said that around 150 DSR machines were being put to use in the district for direct sowing of paddy. Last year, a subsidy of ₹15 core was given on these machines. This year, farmers have applied online to get the subsidy, he added.
