Chandigarh, May 14:
In a bid to promote sustainable agriculture and conserve groundwater, Punjab Government has set a target of bringing five lakh acres under Direct Sowing of Rice (DSR) technique this Kharif season, with direct sowing of paddy scheduled to begin from May 15 onwards, informed S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Punjab.
“Farmers can begin paddy cultivation using the Direct Sowing of Rice (DSR) technique from Thursday onwards,” said S Khudian, while adding that the Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government is also offering financial assistance of Rs. 1,500 per acre to the farmers adopting DSR. A budgetary allocation of Rs. 40 crore has been made for FY 2025-26. Farmers can register for the DSR scheme at online portal agrimachinerypb.com from May 10 to June 30, 2025.
Basmati growers are also eligible to adopt the DSR technique and avail a financial incentive of Rs. 1,500 per acre from this season, the Agriculture Minister added.
The state government had disbursed Rs. 29.02 crore to 21,338 farmers, who have adopted the water-saving DSR technique during the Kharif season 2024. Notably, paddy was directly sown on 2.53 lakh acres in 2024, marking a significant 47% increase from 1.72 lakh acres in 2023.
He further informed that the first verification of DSR fields, including basmati, is scheduled from July 1 to July 15, 2025.
Highlighting the benefits of the Direct Sowing of Rice (DSR) technique, S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian termed it a game-changer for Punjab’s agriculture as the DSR method offers several benefits over traditional paddy cultivation, including 15-20% water savings, which is crucial for Punjab’s depleting groundwater levels, and reduced labor costs of approximately Rs. 3,500 per acre. He urged the farmers to adopt this eco-friendly method and avail the benefits of the scheme.
