The Punjab Government has already fixed a schedule for paddy transplantation in the state to ensure uninterrupted eight-hour power supply in every district. Experts, however, suggest that the government should advance the third and final phase of paddy sowing – originally scheduled on June 19 and June 21 – to utilise rainwater. The state has witnessed heavy rainfall over the past two days, particularly in several districts where paddy transplanting is to begin on June 19 and 21. Out of the 23 districts of Punjab, 16 will commence paddy transplantation on June 19 and June 21. On June 19, Ropar, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Fazilka, Bathinda and Amritsar districts will start the process, while the remaining nine districts – Patiala, Jalandhar, Muktsar, Hoshiarpur, Sangrur, Malerkotla, Barnala and Mansa – will receive power supply from June 21. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Punjab has received a surplus of 112 per cent rainfall in June, including 54 per cent surplus rainfall in the past 24 hours, and is expecting more rain in the coming days. With fields flooded in various parts of the state, this water can be utilised for field puddling, which is necessary before transplanting one-month-old paddy plants. Available data reveals that eight out of the 16 districts scheduled to begin the transplanting process on June 19 and 21 have already experienced highly surplus rainfall. For instance, Amritsar received 570 per cent surplus rain, while in the Doaba region, Kapurthala, Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur districts received 219 per cent, 118 per cent, and 32 per cent surplus rain, respectively. Bathinda and Barnala received 167 per cent and 127 per cent surplus rain, respectively. Mansa (153% excess), Ludhiana (65%) and Patiala (49%) also witnessed surplus rainfall. A senior official from the Agriculture Department in Jalandhar said the abundant showers have left sufficient water in the fields at present. However, farmers are unable to sow paddy before June 21 as per the government's directive. It is currently the appropriate time for transplantation as puddling of the fields does not require additional water in several parts of Jalandhar. Farmer Gurpal Singh of Nangal Shama village in Jalandhar said there is already “half feet of water” in his fields because of the heavy rain and if he sows paddy plants now, he would “need no groundwater to transplant the rice seedlings”. Former state Agriculture Commissioner B S Sidhu said the government should advance paddy sowing in several districts, particularly in the Doaba region where farmers are releasing the surplus water from maize fields to save the crop. “This shows that almost all fields have already got inundated due to excessive rainfall. The government should consider the state's weather conditions instead of adhering strictly to previous orders that serve no purpose and waste precious rainwater,” he emphasised.
