Punjab government has expanded laser land levelling technology in every union council of the Punjab. The step has been taken for curtailing the possibilities of wastage of irrigation water in the province.
Official sources told Business Recorder here on Thursday that under the programme 2,500 laser sets would be provided in irrigated areas for the development of agriculture sector by involving private sector for improving service delivery in this field and capacity building of farmers and operators for sustainable transfer of technology to the farmer community.
In Sialkot district, the Punjab government would provide 60 laser sets to facilitate the growers and farmers of the area. The provision of laser units to farmers would help in curtailment of irrigation application losses up to 50 percent and help save the water considerably.
Besides, the programme will help in enhancing the crop yield by 20 percent, control of waterlogging and salinity, facilitation in efficient use of agricultural machinery and productive utilisation of seed, fertiliser and other non-water inputs.
The main objectives of the projects are to increase agricultural productivity, land and water resources, development of private enterprise in rural areas to provide agriculture services especially laser land levelling, enhance cultivated area by reducing dikes and ditches, reduction of production cost by increasing cultivation efficiency and minimising labour for irrigation and alleviate poverty in rural areas through better farm returns and employment generation.
Unlevelled fields were causing wastage of land as a result of which low irrigation efficiencies and much lesser yield of produce were obtained than the potential while land levelling technology would help in minimising the cost of the operation, ensures better degree of precision in much lesser time and save irrigation water, sources added.