Ideal wheat sowing period over, Punjab covers half of target area
Racing against time, farmers in Punjab have completed wheat sowing in 55 per cent of the targeted 35 lakh hectares for the 2023-24 Rabi season. As of Tuesday, reports indicate that farmers had covered 19.47 lakh hectares and it is expected that the remainder will be covered in a week, coinciding with the ongoing paddy harvesting, which is left on around 7 per cent area. Punjab faces a crucial period in managing or clearing stubble from approximately 5 lakh hectares where the crop has been recently harvested.
The ideal window for wheat sowing in the state spans from November 1 to 15. However, some farmers opt for late wheat varieties, allowing for shorter duration crops between paddy harvesting and wheat sowing, constituting about 10% of the state’s farming practices. Additionally, the state hopes of cultivating oilseed crops across nearly one lakh hectares this Rabi season.
Amid ongoing paddy harvesting, the stubble burning incidents have once again shot up as farmers set their farms to fire to prepare them for wheat crop. State reported 2,544 fresh farm fires on Wednesday taking the total number of such cases to 30,661 this season (September 15 to November 15).
Meanwhile, sources within the Punjab Agriculture Department noted the extensive use of zero till drills in areas where baler machines had collected paddy stubble. Super seeders and smart seeders too were utilized significantly, requiring no stubble clearing after harvest.
While these advanced machines facilitate seeding without stubble clearance, instances have been observed where farmers, despite using such equipment, resorted to partially burning the paddy residue before seeding.
Post-paddy harvesting, two types of residue are commonly present — standing stubble, around 15 to 18 inches tall, and chopped loose straw of about 2.5 feet. Some farmers burn the loose straw for smoother machine operations, a practice not entirely supported by both farm experts and green activists.
For instance, at the time of harvesting, a harvester chops the upper portion of paddy plant up to 2.5 feet and after taking the grain portion it throws back the stubble in the field. This loose stubble gets accumulated in several small dumps, which farmers later set on fire.
Agriculture department officials urge farmers to avoid burning stubble, emphasizing the effectiveness of machines on stubble and the necessity to shift mindset regarding stubble management.
State agriculture director Dr Jaswant Sigh Brar confirmed that 55% of the anticipated 35 lakh hectares have already been sown with wheat. He anticipates that the farmers will cover the remaining area in the coming week’s time, given the remaining 7% of paddy harvesting and farmers’ commitment to wheat sowing.
Brar highlighted the high demand for the PBW-826 wheat variety introduced by Ludhiana-based Punjab Agriculture University last year due to its significantly higher yield compared to popular varieties like HD-3086 and HD-2967. However, limited seed availability has hindered meeting the current demand.
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