Over 4.2 million acres of land would be brought under paddy crop during Kharif season this year in various rice growing areas of Punjab, official sources in Agriculture department told Business Recorder on Tuesday.
The sources said the Provincial Agriculture Department had devised a strategy for imparting necessary training to the paddy growers about the preparation of nurseries and cultivation of paddy crop, aimed at attaining the fixed target in the province.
The Agriculture department, they said, had reminded the paddy growers that under the Pest Ordinance, sowing of paddy nurseries was prohibited throughout the provinces, hence they should refrain from growing paddy nurseries before May 20.
The first phase of training programme will be held in 1,450 villages of Sialkot, Sambrial, Daska and Pasrur tehsils and will continue till the end of current month in.
The local Agriculture Department has constituted training teams for providing proper guidance and assistance to the rice growers about the use of inputs, nursery sowing and transfer of plants into fields.
Meanwhile, the Agriculture Department had directed the paddy growers to use recommended and authenticated paddy seeds for obtaining quality paddy crop and maximum per acre yield, the sources added.