To curb depletion in floor water ranges and scale back energy utilization, the Punjab authorities is firming up a plan on crop diversification, whereby round one million hectare (MH) or a 3rd of water-intensive paddy grown areas within the state could be step by step shifted to various crops corresponding to cotton, maize, oilseeds and pulses, over the following 5 years.
According to Gurvinder Singh, director, agriculture division, the state authorities may also present incentives to farmers for shifting round 10% of wheat space to various crops corresponding to oilseeds and pulses.
The crop diversification would entail monetary incentives to farmers, procurement of crops by state companies below the Minimum Support Price (MSP) operations and processing services. Annually, round 0.1-0.2 MH paddy sown shall be shifted to alternate crops.
“We are working out a detailed programme on crop diversification soon and we will provide financial support to the programme from our own budget as well as from the central sector scheme,” Singh instructed FE.
Stating that paddy cultivation has led to over-exploitation of floor water assets within the state, the Punjab Economic Survey (2020-21) had said ‘cultivation of rice would want the usage of submersible pumps that are costly, and unlikely to be appropriate for marginal and small landholding farmers”.
The survey mentioned there was a must diversify crops and horticulture, pulses and oilseeds act as avenues for diversification.
According to specialists, crop diversification in Punjab has been nearly a non-starter as due to the open-ended rice and wheat procurement system adopted by Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state companies, farmers are reluctant to undertake much less water intensive crops due to lack of procurement or advertising and marketing avenues.
In the present procurement season (October-September) for 2021-22, Punjab has contributed greater than 12.5 million tonne (MT) or 20% of whole rice procurement of 56.81 MT to the central pool managed by FCI. In the continued rabi procurement drive for wheat (2022-23), Punjab has contributed greater than 51% of the 18.77 MT of wheat bought from farmers to date.
Officials mentioned the Punjab authorities, from the present kharif season (2022-23), is selling direct seeding of rice (DSR) which consumes much less water, improves percolation and reduces dependence on farm labour. An incentive of Rs 1,500 per acre is being supplied to farmers who undertake DRS approach and a funds of Rs 450 crore has been earmarked for it.
The state authorities can also be encouraging farmers to take up brief length kinds of rice (which matures in 125 days as a substitute of standard varieties that take 135-145 days) corresponding to PAU 126, 127 and 128 in order that transplantation may very well be carried out utilizing monsoon rains in July.
Official estimates point out that farmers in round 50% of two.4 MH of non-Basmati grown areas within the state have adopted brief length kinds of rice.
The state authorities company, Markfed has began to acquire summer time moong via fee of MSP of Rs 7,275 per quintal. This 12 months, brief length pulses selection was sown in round 0.1 MH.
According to a press release by agriculture ministry in Parliament in April, crop diversification programme initiated in 2013-14 as a sub-scheme below the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana within the Green revolution states corresponding to Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, has introduced solely 0.63 MH below the demonstration of different crop at farmers’ subject.
Source: www.financialexpress.com”