Punjab farmers caught with land in the no-till

Zero-tillage, also known as the no-till system, cuts out the pre-sowing labour by advocating wheat cultivation in unprepared fields. It uses a machine with tines so sharp as to penetrate five to six inches into the soil, negating the need to clear the top-soil of the debris of the previous harvest.

Not surprisingly, farmers turned a deaf ear to state agriculture officials when they first proposed it in 2000-01. Over the last few years, persuaded by the Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA), which financed the demonstration and training programmes, and state officials, a handful of progressive farmers experimented with the technology in small portions of their land; their success, say state officials, is the cause behind the exponential spread of the technology.

Of the 2.5 lakh hectares usung zero-till at the moment in the state, according to the agriculture department, 5,700 hectares belong to 367 Jalandhar farmers.

‘‘The traditional method of sowing — for which farmers till their fields 6-8 times with disc harrow and cultivator, and follow it up with 2-3 sessions of planking — pushes up production costs, delays wheat planting and also robs the soil of post-rice harvest residual moisture,’’ says Jalandhar Chief Agriculture Officer B S Kahlon. ‘‘Besides, it also encourages weeds.’’

Zero-tillage, on the other hand, saves planting time, fuel, water consumption, and cuts down the risk of weeds without disturbing soil composition. ‘‘All in all, it slashes production cost/acre by about Rs 880-1200,’’ says Kahlon. ‘‘So farmers can increase their profit margins by a neat Rs 2,200-3,000/hectare.’’

The time-saving factor ties up neatly with progressive wisdom that suggests wheat should be sowed no later than November 15. According to Jalandhar agriculture development officer Naresh Gulati — himself a chronicler of progressive farming success stories — farmers often push back the date.

‘‘But a week’s delay causes a yield loss of about a quintal/acre,’’ he says. ‘‘So zero-till farmers are able to increase their yields primarily because of timely sowing.’’

Simrat Kaur, a progressive farmer from Alawalpur block in Jalandhar, is a case in point. ‘‘I initially used the zero-tillage technology on just half-acre of land. The germination was very poor, so I contacted the state officials. They visited my farm and explained that the germination was poor because of the paddy straw strewn across the field. They assured me I would get a very good crop.’’

True enough, Simrat says, ‘‘I realised that the crop on that half-acre was far better compared to the yield elsewhere on my land: production was 10-15 per cent higher, and costs were less by Rs 900-1,200 per acre. Today, all 60 acres of my land are under zero-tillage.’’