Punjab minister for legislation to halt early paddy sowing

Patiala, May 7 (UNI) Expressing concern over the depleting groundwater table, Punjab Agriculture Minister Sucha Singh Langah today said that the state government may be compelled to introduce a legislation to prevent farmers from early sowing of paddy.

In an informal chat with mediapersons here, he said that the Agriculture Department has been persuading the farmers not to sown paddy early, as this effects the groundwater sources. He asked the Department to aim to reduce paddy acreage in Punjab from 26.50 lakh hectare last year to 25.00 lakh hectare this year.

The minister stressed the need for reducing the paddy acreage in the state to check depleting ground water level in Majha and Doaba belts.

He said that the Agriculture Department should focus on increasing acreage of cotton from 6.07 lakh hectares to 6.50 lakh hectares this year.

The Agriculture Minister said that he has directed that only genuine BT cotton seed should be supplied to the farmers at the rate fixed by the government and the agriculture department should conduct raids to check profiteering by unscrupulous traders.

Regarding the wheat production in the state, the Minister said that despite inclement weather conditions this year, the state achieve the target of 145 lakh metric tonnes.

The Minister expressed satisfaction that 492 lakh tonnes of sugarcane has already been supplied to sugar mills till date, against the target of 425 lakh tonnes this year. He was of the opinion that focus should be on increasing acreage under sugarcane.

UNI