'Over 4.492 million acres of land to come under paddy cultivation'

Over 4.492 million acres of land would be brought under paddy crop during Kharif season in various rice growing areas of the Punjab. Official sources told Business Recorder on Tuesday here that the Provincial Agriculture department had initiated a well-knitted training programme for the paddy growers about the preparation of nurseries and cultivation of paddy crop aimed at attaining the fixed target in the Punjab.
The local Agriculture department had already completed farmers training programme in 1,442 villages of Sialkot, Daska, Pasrur and Sambrial tehsils of Sialkot district. More than 26,155 paddy growers of Sialkot district participated in this training programme.
The rice growers have been imparted necessary training for enhancing per acre yield, sowing of paddy nurseries, utilisation of irrigation, pesticides and fertiliser as well as about the different verities of paddy in the district.
Agriculture department had deputed special teams for providing proper guidance and assistance about the use of inputs, nursery sowing and transfer of plants into fields to the rice growers in Punjab. The Agriculture department had deputed teams for providing proper guidance and assistance about the use of inputs, nursery sowing and transfer of plants into fields to the rice growers in the Punjab.
The department has directed the paddy growers that they should refrain from transferring of plants from nurseries to their respective fields before June 20 for attaining better yield of the crop. Meanwhile, the Agriculture department had directed the paddy growers that they should use only recommended and authenticated paddy seed and pesticides for obtaining quality and maximum per acre yield in the Punjab, sources added.
The recommended verities of rice are supper Basmati, Basmati-385, Basmati-370, Basmati- Pak and Shaheen Basmati etc for attaining maximum yield of the crop for maintaining the quality and standard of the crop to ensure better sale price in international market. Paddy growers should refrain from utilisations of unauthenticated seeds like 386, Kasmaira and hero etc because these verities would hinder the output of per acres yield of the crop, sources said.