CM Mann’s village shows the way in adopting DSR technique

Farmers of Satoj village are continuously in talks with the department officials for sowing paddy using DSR technique. Some have already started paddy sowing from Friday.

JASWINDER SINGH GREWAL,

chief agriculture officer

SANGRUR: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s Satoj village in Sangrur district is setting an example in adopting Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR) technique for sowing paddy, with a 30-fold increase in the area used for planting rice under the water-saving method this season as compared to the last year.

Paddy was sown only at 10 acres of land last year with the DSR technique, while this year, the farmers will be sowing paddy at 300 acres under the method.

Chief agricultural officer, Jaswinder Singh Grewal, said, “around 300 acres will be covered under DSR. Over dozens of farmers of Satoj village are continuously in talks with the department for sowing paddy with DSR. Few of them have already started paddy sowing from Friday.”

According to the local agriculture department, Satoj farmers, who had sown paddy with the DSR earlier are increasing the area, while others are doing this on an experimental basis on few acres of their total agriculture land.

The use of DSR method got a boost after CM Bhagwant Mann on May 3 visited the village and encouraged farmers to use the technique in the wake of depleting groundwater in the state.

His government has also decided to provide financial assistance of ₹ 1,500 per acre to each farmer if they adopt the DSR technique.

District officials said that the entire administration working towards increasing the area under DSR, especially in the native village of the CM.

The district has fixed a target of bringing 90,000 acres under the DSR technique. Earlier, the target was fixed for 66, 000 acres but the administration increased it seeing the positive response of farmers.

Maninder Singh, farmer of Satoj village, said, “I have already sown paddy at 4 acres with DSR and will sow paddy with DSR at 7 more acres.”

“We are doing this for the first time. CM Bhagwant Mann during his visit to the village told us that we can save ground water with this technique. Besides, the administration also assured me to provide superior quality of fertilisers, and pesticides,” Maninder said.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development), Varjeet Walia, said, “we along with agriculture experts have visited almost all villages of districts to spread awareness.”

“Few farmers are hesitating due to rodent problems. But our experts are guiding them,” Walia said.