Area under basmati cultivation up 12.58%

Chandigarh, August 18

Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian on Sunday said the crop diversification drive had received a significant boost with Punjab witnessing 12.58 per cent increase in the area under basmati cultivation during this kharif season.

He said the cultivation of long-grain rice had expanded to 6.71 lakh hectare, up from 5.96 lakh hectare during the previous kharif season.

Listing the district-wise statistics on basmati cultivation, Khudian said Amritsar district led the way with 1.46 lakh hectare, followed by Muktsar (1.10 lakh hectare), Fazilka (84,900 hectare), Tarn Taran (72,500 hectare) and Sangrur (49,800 hectare).

The minister also made a mention of 46.5 per cent growth in the area under direct seeding of rice (DSR) in comparison to the previous year. The area cultivated using the water-saving DSR technique has increased to over 2.52 lakh acre, up from 1.72 lakh acre in the last season. — TNS