The state agriculture department has woken up to the advantages of direct sowing of paddy and although paddy sowing season started on June 10 - with direct sowing on June 1 - the department will be launching a special education program for farmers highlighting the advantages of direct sowing method. The departments will utilise 140 vans to visit every agricultural block of the state on July 3 and 4. The vans will carry literature and leaflets about the benefits of direct sowing. Currently,around 10,000 acres (out of 27 lakh hectares) of paddy in Punjab are sown through direct method. The district agriculture officers have been promoting the method for the past few years,but this is the first time that the state agriculture department will formally promote the method. Director of Punjab Agriculture Department,Dr Mangal Singh Sandhu said that lack of migrant labour coming in from Up and Bihar and massive saving in water consumption in ever drying Punjab are major reason to support direct sowing. We will educate the farmers that this method neither decreases yield nor the quality of grain. Instead it gives a better yield,saves water and prevents soil exhaustion, said Sandhu adding that the method leads to full re-charging of rain water and saves nearly Rs 5,000 per hectare in cultivation cost Deputy Director of Agriculture Technological Management Agency (ATMA) Dr Naresh Gulati said that direct seeding has the additional environmental benefit of reducing greenhouse emissions apart from improving soil porosity. Puddling is water exhausting and a big hindrance in rain water recharging of fields, added Gulati. Asked whether it was too late for this method to be promoted now,Sandhu stated that there were many varieties which can be sown in July,especially Basmati.
