Karnal: Farmers given Rs 16.69 cr for adopting direct-seeded rice
The Agriculture Department has disbursed Rs 16.69 crore to farmers across nine districts in Haryana for adopting direct-seeded rice (DSR) last year. This initiative, part of crop diversification and water conservation efforts, covers 41,726.18 acres. Funds, transferred via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), aim to encourage DSR adoption with Rs 4,000 per acre incentives. The state has set a target of 3,02,000 acres for DSR this season across 12 major paddy-growing districts.
The Agriculture Department has released funds for providing pending incentives to those who adopted the direct-seeded rice (DSR) technique last year. A total amount of Rs 16.69 crore has been released for farmers in nine districts, covering an area of 41,726.18 acres. The funds will be transferred directly to the farmers’ accounts under the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme, an official claimed.
The adoption of the DSR technique is part of the government’s ongoing efforts to promote crop diversification and water conservation.
As per the details, Hisar farmers will receive Rs 1.94 crore, Jind farmers Rs 2.56 crore, Karnal farmers Rs 1.42 crore, Kurukshetra farmers Rs 19,400, Panipat farmers Rs 59.25 lakh, Rohtak farmers Rs 38.78 lakh, Sirsa farmers Rs 9.44 crore, Sonepat farmers Rs 16.87 lakh and Yamunanagar farmers Rs 16.64 lakh.
Dr Wazir Singh, Deputy Director of Agriculture (DDA), confirmed the receipt of the funds, saying, “We have received the payment, which will be disbursed to the farmers.”
Data further said verified area under the DSR technique till October 30, 2023, was 1,78,552.03 acres. Of this, the department had previously disbursed Rs 53.68 crore for 1,34,207.635 acres. The newly released funds will cover the remaining areas.
The state government offers an incentive of Rs 4,000 per acre to encourage farmers to adopt the DSR technique to conserve groundwater, the DDA said.
The department has also increased the DSR target for the current season to 3,02,000 acres, up from 2,25,000 acres in the last season. The initiative will span 12 major paddy-growing districts, he said.
Ambala has been assigned a target of 12,000 acres, Fatehabad 25,000 acres, Hisar 25,000 acres, Jind 20,000 acres, Kaithal 18,000 acres, Karnal 30,000 acres, Kurukshetra 22,000 acres, Panipat 15,000 acres, Rohtak 15,000 acres, Sirsa 85,000 acres, Sonepat 20,000 acres and Yamunanagar 5,000 acres. “The DSR technique does not require flooded fields for paddy seeding. Instead, rice crops are sown like other cereals, pulses and oilseed crops in a ‘vattar’ field, prepared after pre-sown irrigation. It saves nearly 30 per cent of groundwater compared to transplanted rice,” he explained.
Source Link: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana/farmers-given-16-69-cr-for-adopting-direct-seeded-rice-636285
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