A new technology adapted from the construction sector is helping farmers in Punjab. Laser land levellers, used to level mega construction sites, are being used in the state?s farm sector. These machines are cutting costs in terms of water needed to irrigate fields, costs on diesel to run tubewells, and man-hours spent on each acre.

Across the state, farmers are saving on irrigation costs by as much as 30% on fields levelled with the help of this high-technology machine. Less irrigation means less power used. And, in a state like Punjab where tubewells run mostly on diesel because of erratic power supply, farmers are saving money on the fuel front as well.

According to Dr HS Sidhu, an agricultural scientist based in Punjab, who is currently working on an international project, the technology was brought to Punjab in 2005. ?Initial trials were carried out on 150 acres in Sukhanand village of Moga district. About 300 farmers were involved in this initiative. It was observed that fields levelled with this technology were irrigated with 25-30% lesser water usage.

Farmers also found that the even surface enables equal distribution of fertilisers and pesticides, reducing these inputs too. Besides, one acre levelled by a laser leveller saves up to 400 units of electricity. As a result, the number of laser land levellers has been steadily growing in the state,?he said.

From a single machine in 2005, the number increased to eight in 2006. In 2007, the state had 150 laser levellers, and around 1,000 in 2008. The number has gone up to about 2,000 in 2009, Sidhu said.

The hi-end technology, though growing fast, is yet to reach a majority of farmers. As per estimates, out of the total 42 lakh ha of cultivable land in Punjab, around six lakh hectares has been laser-levelled till date.

A farmer can get six crops from a land, which has been laser-levelled once. It needs to be done once in every three years.

Dr Sidhu, who was earlier working with Punjab Agricultural University, said on an average, the difference in land level from one end to the other is eight to 20 cm in rice and wheat fields. ?On a field levelled using this technology, there is a difference of only about 5 mm from one end of the field to the other, leading to excellent results for all inputs,? Sidhu said.

Interestingly, the Punjab government is also encouraging farmers to endorse this technology. PS Rangi, a consultant with the Punjab State Farmers Commission, said: “A machine costs between Rs 3.20 lakh and 3.40 lakh. Farmers can hire these machines from agro-service centres too and can avail themselves of a 33% subsidy. We had sanctioned 129 laser land levllers last year and 229 machines went to fields this year”.

The director of agriculture of Punjab, BS Sidhu, is enthusiastic about the way farmers save on power and diesel consumption. He said one acre of paddy field, which earlier took four hours to irrigate, now gets irrigated in 2.30 hours.