Over 3,91,260 acres of land would be brought under paddy crop cultivation during the Kharif season in Sialkot district. The Agriculture Department has directed the rice growers that paddy nurseries should be cultivated after May 20 in their respective areas.
Sources in the Agriculture Department told Business Recorder here on Sunday that local Agriculture Department was making adequate efforts for creating awareness among rice growers about the use of recommended seed for attaining better yield of the crop in the district. The Tehsil-wise paddy cultivation are: In Sialkot tehsil 1,13,465 acres, 89,990 acres in Daska tehsil, 1,29,115 in Pasrur tehsil and 58,690 acres in Sambrial tehsil.
The department has also directed the paddy growers that they should use only recommended and authenticated verities of rice seed like supper Basmati, Basmati-385, Basmati-370, Basmati-515, Basmati-370, Basmati Pak and Shaheen Basmati etc, for attaining maximum yield of the crop and to ensure quality rice export.
Apart from this the Agriculture Department had initiated a well-knitted training programme for the paddy growers on the preparation of nurseries and cultivation of the paddy crop aimed at attaining the fixed target in the district. The use of recommended and authenticated paddy seeds and pesticides will pave the way for obtaining quality and maximum per acre yield in the district, sources said.
The local agriculture department had already initiated the farmers training programme in 1,442 villages of Sialkot, Daska, Pasrur and Sambrial tehsils of Sialkot district. During the training rice growers would impart necessary training for enhancing per acre yield, sowing of paddy nurseries, utilisation of irrigation water, pesticides and fertiliser as well as about the different verities of paddy in Sialkot district, sources added.