Punjab government?s ambitious plan to introduce mechanised paddy cultivation will be realised this kharif season with the agriculture department of the state roping in seven companies to arrange 700 paddy transplanters.
Last year, the state had witnessed acute shortage of farm labourers, which exhorted the government to promote mechanised sowing of rice saplings.
The state has approved the names of seven companies that would provide paddy transplanters to paddy growers at a price starting from Rs 1,69,500 to Rs 16,30,000 per machine. These companies are Yanmar Agricultural Equipment, Kubota Agricultural Machinery, Mahindra and Mahindra, VST Tillers Tractors, Global Agrotech, AG Precision and Nua Seed. The state government will also provide subsidy on purchasing these machines.
Talking to FE, joint director (engineering wing), agriculture department, DR Kataria, said, ?We have received 450 applications from farmers who have shown interest in adopting these machines. The state government would provide subsidy equal to the 50% of the cost of machinery with the ceiling of Rs 1,50,000 per machine. The subsidy burden would be met through the grant of Rs 6 crore provided to the state under the Agricultural Product Pattern Adjustment Programme of government of India.? To use these machines farmers will have to grow mat-type nursery for which the government will provide additional subsidy of Rs 4,000 per acre. Experts from our engineering wing and Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) will provide training to farmers to grow this nursery and will zdemonstrate how to use paddy transplanters.
?With the mechanised paddy cultivation the yield of paddy crop would jump 8-10%. Farmers will be able to sow 35-40 plants per square meter through paddy transplanters compared with just 18-20 plants per square metre using the traditional method. The yield will increase as a result,? Kataria added.
The paddy transplantation in Punjab is scheduled to start from June 15 as per Punjab Preservation of Subsoil Water Act. It may be noted here that the problem of shortage of farm labourers had caused much concern to the farming community in the state last year.
