The agricultural tool to ensure direct wheat sowing into the previous paddy stubble, without preparing the fields, developed and manufactured in Daska with the help of Water Management and Irrigation department over 10 years ago, has proved popular not only in the Punjab, but also in Sindh. This was disclosed by Irrigation Punjab DG Mushtaq Ahmed Gill.
Talking to newsmen, he said the 'zero tillage seed drill' machine was first imported from New Zealand over 10 years ago to cut down the effort and cost of removing paddy stubble and preparing the fields anew for wheat sowing. Later, the machine was locally manufactured by a South-Asian firm based in Daska, and today over 15 agri-tools manufacturing factories are developing the drill.
He said that an increasing number of regions in Punjab were utilising this method for wheat sowing, which ensured 30 percent water saving, Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 per acre saving in input costs and 15 to 20pc increase in per acre yield. He said the Punjab Irrigation department had introduced the drill in Larkana and Shahdad Kot region in Sindh last year, and its cost-effective use had prompted sale of over 100 units to Sindh this year, he added.