Thursday, 13 August 2009

In gloom, Punjab paints a pretty paddy picture

Paddy plantation is coming to an end across the state and till date 27.15 lakh hectares of land has been sown under paddy. Last year the total area under paddy cultivation was 27.35 lakh hectares. "Despite deficient rains, we are not likely to register a fall of more than 10,000 hectares in the area under paddy as compared to last year," said Director, Agriculture, Punjab, BS Sidhu.

"Even though the rainfall during the kharif season was 70 per cent less than normal during May and June, and about 50 per cent in July, the targeted area under paddy, maize and cotton had been sown by the farmers, who had irrigated their fields by using diesel engines and generators," he added.

The area under basmati cultivation has gone up from 3.25 lakh hectares last year to almost five lakh hectares this year. "This is mainly due to the delayed monsoon and also because basmati fetched an attractive price last year," said Sidhu.

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