M A I N   N E W S

In rain-deficient year, Punjab readies for bumper paddy yield
Jangveer Singh
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 30
In an irony of sorts, farmers in Punjab are set to achieve a record paddy harvest in a year marked by rains which fell just short of the drought level. The paddy procurement season, which starts tomorrow, is set to result in procurement of 135 lakh metric tonnes - the highest so far.

Scarce rain during paddy transplantation and rearing season jacked up the input costs of farmers, most of whom had to rely on diesel to run tube-well pump sets to rear up their crop. While this played havoc with farm budgets, need-based irrigation due to lack of rain also meant optimum irrigation.

As experts like Dr GS Kalkat of the Punjab Farmers Commission pointed out, a prolonged dry spell coupled with assured irrigation allowed for better photosynthesis in plants resulting in healthier growth during the initial phase. It also resulted in lesser attack from pests and a reduction in pesticide cost.

Farmers in Punjab not only benefited from the initial dry spell, but also from the late spell of rain, says Director Agriculture Mangal Singh. He said the late spell of rain washed away leaf folder bugs which traditionally attack paddy plants on maturation. “Farmers also saved on pesticides on this account,” he said.

The director said that besides these, the government’s decision to allow early sowing of the paddy nursery from May 1 instead of the May 10 also helped. He said this extra time allowed the nursery to mature to the optimum level.

Sources here said that Punjab was planning to procure 135 lakh metric tonnes of paddy for the central pool this season. This has been possible despite deficient rainfall because the area under paddy did not shrink as envisaged earlier. Paddy was transplanted in 28.10 lakh hectares in the state this season against a target of 27.80 lakh hectares.

The State Food and Civil Supplies Department has made arrangements to procure 150 lakh tonnes of paddy against an expected arrival of 135 lakh tonnes. The state has sent a request for the sanctioning of cash credit of Rs 22,509 crore for this purpose to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and has already been sanctioned a credit limit of Rs 16,674 crore.

The payment for paddy procurement to farmers is likely to be made through the traditional mode of ‘arhatiyas’ (commission agents). Food Corporation of India (FCI) officials said that they were yet to receive instructions to make direct payment to farmers as had been notified by the Centre earlier.

The procurement agencies will purchase paddy at the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 1,250 per quintal for Common and Rs 1,280 per quintal for Grade ‘A’ during the current kharif season against Rs 1,080 and Rs 1,110 per quintal for these varieties during 2011-12. As many as 1,770 purchase centres will be operational during the procurement season starting tomorrow.