With the federal government’s impetus on saving groundwater, the realm below water guzzling summer season maize fell by over 32% in 2024 in comparison with 2023, as per the information collected by Punjab Agricultural College (PAU).
In 2023, summer season maize was grown over round 66,817 hectares, and in 2024, the whole space was 44,834 hectares, a dip of 21,983 hectares. (HT file)
In 2023, summer season maize was grown over round 66,817 hectares, and in 2024, the whole space was 44,834 hectares, a dip of 21,983 hectares.
In keeping with PAU consultants, the dip is the results of a sustained marketing campaign and making farmers conscious of different crops like pulses, which might additionally fetch the identical or equal remuneration as summer season maize.
Ludhiana chief agriculture officer Gurdeep Singh stated that the division ran village-level camps usually the place the farmers had been made conscious of the pressure the summer season maize provides to the already depleting water desk.
“The farmers were educated on alternatives like pulses, which could earn them around the same profits as maize and only needed 2-3 irrigation cycles,” he stated.
Principal maize breeder and in-charge of maize analysis group (PAU), Surinder Kaur Sandhu, stated that whereas the federal government was already stressing crop diversification within the kharif season to alleviate stress on the water desk by asking farmers to modify to different crops from paddy, summer season maize had added to the issue.
“Grown as a third crop between wheat and paddy, the summer maize is dependent on irrigation and hence increases the rate of depletion of groundwater. With the dry and hot months of April and May it requires an irrigation every 2-3 days. With 15-20 irrigations, the summer maize consumed as much water as paddy. This doubles the strain on the already depleting water table in the state,” she stated.
An official from the agriculture division stated that the summer season maize was not grown for the grain however for silage particularly. “Farmers earned around ₹40-45,000 from an acre during the time their fields lay unused. This maize, however, is not grown to maturity and is harvested before it goes ripe to prepare a fodder with long-shelf life called silage,” he added.
Sandhu famous the autumn in space below summer season maize was a optimistic signal and stated that by the tip of the month, as soon as the wheat harvest is finished, the PAU will be capable of get a greater on-ground image to see if the development has continued this yr as properly.
“Instead of summer maize, farmers can go for growing pulses to supplement their income between the rabi and kharif crops,” she added.