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Mahesh

24/07/22 07:01 AM IST

DSR technique not gaining ground in Punjab

In News 
  • Despite the Punjab government’s Rs 1,500 per acre incentive to farmers for adopting the DSR method, farmers are returning to the traditional method of puddled transplanting of rice in the majority of the paddy area (87% decline in DSR over last year).
DSR 
  • DSR is the direct seeding of rice in which seeds are sown in the field rather than by transplanting seedlings from the nursery.
  • It aims to sow short-duration and high-yield varieties. It is done through DSR machines which are used for planting seeds of rice directly into the fields.
Why Decline?
  • Lack of power and adequate water: Officials said that this year there were erratic power cuts. Also, canal water was not available in an adequate amount during the sowing time of DSR.
  • Varied results: Both experts and farmers said that the results of the DSR depend on the farmer to farmer and soil types. Some farmers are getting more yield from this method, while some are getting less.
  • Light soils are bad and heavy soils are good for DSR.
  • Lack of technical know-how: The majority of the farmers in the state are still not much well-versed in the technique and after facing huge losses in wheat yield this year, they prefer the assured traditional method, instead of the experimental DSR.
  • Need for weedicide: Though DSR does not need labour, it needs several sprays of weedicides to control weeds. In traditional agriculture, flood irrigation acts as a weedicide.
  • Low incentive: Many farmers complain that the losses due to the adoption of DSR are over 6000 per acre, but the incentive with DSR sowing is just Rs 1,500 per acre
Haryana Model 
  • Government should adopt the Haryana government model to save groundwater wherein the Haryana government under its scheme “Mera Pani Meri Virasat” is offering Rs 7,000 per acre (along with insurance cover) to the farmers who will shun paddy crop and adopt other alternative crops like fruit and vegetables.
Other methods of rice cultivation 
  • Transplantation: Seeds are first shown in the nursery and seedlings are transplanted to the main field.
  • Drilling Method: Seeds are put in the soil which has been drilled.
  • System of Rice intensification: It is a farming methodology aimed at increasing the yield of rice produced in farming. It is a low-water, labour-intensive method that uses younger seedlings singly spaced and typically hand weeded with special tools.
Source- PIB 

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