Journalism of Courage
Despite acute shortage of labour for agricultural work,Punjab will sow paddy only in 3,000 hectare out of 27 lakh hectare dedicated for paddy cultivation this year. According to experts,though paddy transplanters were the only answer to labour pangs,it was not being availed due to the non-availability of paddy nurseries.
There is no need to employ farm workers,who have been demanding high-labour cost. Manually while only 32,000 to 35,000 saplings are planted in a field of one acre,through paddy planters,65,000 to 70,000 plants can be planted and there will be four to five quintals of yield per acre, said Joint Director (Farm Machinery) Dr D R Kataria. Most farmers want to opt for paddy transplanters,but it is not possible till nurseries are not raised on mats or in plastic trays, Kataria said,adding that farmers were not ready to grow such nurseries as they felt it was a cumbersome task,but in reality it was not,as they just required to get sensitised towards the unique technique.
Under the traditional method,while Rs 6,000 to 7,000 is spent to raise and transplant nursery in an acre,through transplanters,the cost will be around Rs 3,500 to Rs 4,000 per acre.
The government has no policy regarding providing nurseries to farmers, said Deputy Directory (Agriculture Technology Management Agency) Dr Naresh Gulati. There are around 600 paddy transplanters in the state with cooperatives and farmers,but more are required. Some farmers have shown the government the way by raising nurseries and supplying it to other farmers on custom-hiring basis by transporting and transplanting seedlings to fields,but the government has failed to act, said an official.
