Punjab sees 36% jump in DSR coverage, crosses 4 lakh acres

Agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian said 31,478 farmers have adopted DSR across 4,00,433 acres this season, compared to around 2.94 lakh acres last year.

Punjab has recorded a 36% increase in the area under Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR) during the 2026 kharif season, with more than 4 lakh acres brought under the water-saving cultivation technique, according to the state agriculture department.

Farmers adopting the technique are eligible for an incentive of ₹1,500 per acre, taking the estimated payout to ₹61 crore, the minister said.

DSR eliminates the need for nursery raising and paddy transplantation and is promoted as a water-conservation measure. According to the agriculture department, the technique can reduce irrigation water use by 15-20% compared to conventional paddy cultivation.

Agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian said 31,478 farmers have adopted DSR across 4,00,433 acres this season, compared to around 2.94 lakh acres last year.

Farmers adopting the technique are eligible for an incentive of ₹1,500 per acre, taking the estimated payout to ₹61 crore, the minister said.

Fazilka recorded the highest DSR coverage with 1.55 lakh acres cultivated by 12,063 farmers, followed by Muktsar with 1.06 lakh acres covered by 7,345 farmers, while Ferozepur reported 38,089 acres.

The minister directed district-level officials to complete verification of eligible farmers and ensure timely disbursal of the DSR incentive to beneficiaries. He also asked them to continue technical support to encourage wider adoption of the cultivation method in the coming seasons.