Punjab sees 20% jump in area under summer maize
BATHINDA: Punjab has recorded a more than a 20% increase in area under water-guzzling spring or summer maize that left farm experts worried about the considerable loss of natural resources this season.
It’s called summer/spring maize as its sowing takes place in February in the potato-sowing belt of Doaba and during peak summers, it is harvested 80-120 days depending upon the use. In Malwa, maize is still being sown in pockets as wheat harvesting was advanced due to unusually high temperature. Before paddy sowing, which starts by mid-June, the fields of potato and wheat growers remain empty. During this time, from February to mid-June-July, farmers are preferring to grow one more crop before rice.
According to the information, farmers have sown maize on more than 40,000 hectares or about 98,000 acres (it is still being sown in pockets of Malwa) whereas it was nearly 32,000 hectares across the state in 2021-22.
Like the Doaba region, this year Malwa districts have also seen a surge in the cultivation of summer maize, which is also used to prepare silage, considered a superfood for cattle.
Farmers and agriculture experts attribute an increase in area under maize cultivation to an opportunity to earn from the 80-day crop before the basmati sowing period commences in July. This time, wheat harvesting was advanced due to the early ripening of the crop and maize was seen to rear profit, they say.
Sukhchain Singh of Thandewala in Muktsar district said after a sudden hike in rates of wheat chaff or “toori”, farmers see a scope to earn from the silage sector.
“It costs about Rs 15,000 on an acre to produce 180-200 quintals. A farmer can save up to Rs 20,000 after selling green organic matter to silage manufacturing units. But this crop is susceptible to pest attacks and untimely rains at harvesting period may jeopardise investment,” Singh said, who has been sowing the fodder crop on more than 10 acres for the last few years.
Ajmer Singh Brar, principal agronomist, Punjab Agriculture University (PAU), said to produce 1 kg of organic matter of summer maize requires 150-200 litres of water in an 80-day cycle crop. Water footprint increases further if farmers opt to harvest after the ripening of corns for 120 days.
He said maize was mainly grown in the potato-sowing belts in the Doaba region of Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahr around February but it had an insignificant footprint in the Malwa region post-wheat harvesting in April.
“We do not recommend growing maize during summers as it consumes a huge amount of water. During this period, there is no possibility of seepage of water, which is used for irrigation in the field due to evaporation caused by high temperature. Farmers should switch over to drip irrigation to save depleting water sources,” said Brar, an expert in water management in crops. According to Manjit Singh, chief agriculture officer (CAO), Mansa, the district has seen a five-fold jump under the crop to about 24,000 acres.
“The department discourages farmers to sow maize but farmers find it an economically viable option,” he said. Farmers have sown it on 8,000 hectares in Bathinda from 6,000 hectares last season.
A farmer from Bathinda’s Bajak village, Gurdeep Singh said farmers faced losses due to low wheat yield and maize may help in recovering losses.
“As the temperature is comparatively high, irrigation requirement for maize fields is likely to be increased to 12 cycles. Water input may be quite high but farmers are looking to improve their financial conditions,” he added.
FARMERS HAVE SOWN MAIZE ON MORE THAN 40,000 HECTARES WHEREAS IT WAS NEARLY 32,000 HECTARES ACROSS THE STATE IN 2021-22