Sowing wheat seeds, happily

The brain behind Happy Seeder, Dr Jhon Blackwell, an Australian, visited Jalandhar and appreciated the efforts of engineers, who have modified the machine to suit their needs.

With this machine, a farmer need not prepare the field and sow the crop directly without burning the paddy straw.

The seeder not only saves the upper layer of the soil, which gets damaged during burning of straws, but also saves water and eco-friendly insects and microorganism. A farmer can save Rs 1,200 to 1,500 per acre through direct sowing.

Engineer Navdeep Singh of the Agriculture Department said many progressive farmers were coming forward to adopt this technology. Parduman Singh, a farmer of Nagar village in Phillaur, said he had got his three fields cultivated with the help of Happy Seeder. Chief Agriculture officer, Jalandhar, Dr Kulbir Singh Deol said the paddy straws that were not burnt turn into manure after decomposition, reducing the need for fertilisers. Engineer Manmohan Kalia said initially, the farmers were reluctant, but now they have taken a shine to the seeder.