Short of labour, farmers go for mechanised sowing
BATHINDA : Amid the shortage of migrant farm labourers and higher charges demanded by locally available workers for the second consecutive kharif season, more farmers are showing interest in the direct seeding of rice (DSR) method.
Information says sowing kickstarted with DSR, a method under which pre-germinated seeds are directly drilled into the field by a tractor-powered machine, in several districts on June 1.
Farmers say workers are demanding up to ₹5,500 per acre in different districts for conventional sowing of paddy saplings and DSR is a better option economically. Agriculture officials expect more than one-lakh hectare area of seven districts of south Malwa belt will be covered under the mechanised sowing of paddy. Sulakhan Singh of Fazilka’s Awa village has decided to extend mechanical sowing on 14 acres, an increase of six acres than last year.
“This year labourers are demanding between ₹5,000-5,500 per acre for sowing. A farmer can significantly save by hiring the seed drill method as it costs ₹1,000/acre. Last year, I sowed 8 acres with DSR and the per acre average yield was 22 quintals whereas paddy grown on my flood-irrigated fields was 18-20 quintals,” he said. Punjab farmers largely depend upon labourers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh for paddy sowing.
Government promoted DSR in an orgnaised manner for the first time in 2020 after migrant labourers could not travel to Punjab due to Covid-19 outbreak. This year also, the farm sector sees an acute shortage of farm workers. Last year, an estimated 10 lakh hectare area was brought under the DSR.
Lakhbir Singh of Burj Mansahia village in Bathinda said a farmer need not wait for farm workers as mechanical sowing is highly economical and speedy exercise. “I experimented with mechanised seeding on 11 acres for the first time and faced a few problems related to soil nutrient deficiency. This time, I had contacted a progressive farmer Baldev Singh from Bajak village who gave me tips to identify plant growth. Now, I have started DSR on 30 acres,” he added.
Another paddy grower Gursewak Singh from Muktsar’s Sangu Dhaun village said the technology will prove a boon for the farming community.
“Last season, I opted DSR’S cost-cutting technique to overcome the problem of shortage of farm workers. My cost input per acre with mechanised sowing was just ₹800 for the hired seed driller. Convinced with previous experience of saving water, and better yield, DSR can boost farmers’ economy when labour availability is a challenge this year too,” he added.
Principal agronomist of Punjab Agriculture University Dr MS Bhullar said in case of rainfall after sowing and before the emergence of crop seedling, ‘krand’ or formation of hard crust on soil surface occurs and farmers need not panic. “Crust formation can be broken with rice seed drill (which was used for sowing) for easy emergence of seedlings,” said Bhullar.
“We have set a target to enhance area under DSR in Fazilka to 50,000 hectares from last year’s 28,000 hectares,” said Fazilka CAO Surinder Singh.