Despite state govt's push to diversification, paddy sowing area continues to expand
The sowing, which began on June 1 this year as against June 10 and later in previous years, will continue by the end of this month. Paddy farmers will start the sowing of Basmati (non-paddy rice varieties) crops from the second week of July.
The latest data highlights that paddy acreage this year too will see an increase despite the state government's ongoing efforts to diversify from water-guzzling crops.
Data accessed by The Indian Express shows that several districts have reported a substantial rise in paddy sowing. Bathinda, for instance, jumped from 1.20 lakh hectares last year to 1.81 lakh hectares this year — an increase of over 60,000 hectares. Sangrur, Patiala, and Muktsar also recorded substantial hikes of around 50,000 hectares, 31,000 hectares, and 21,000 hectares respectively.
Experts say the increase in paddy is driven by assured procurement at Minimum Support Price (MSP), availability of irrigation, and farmers' reluctance to take risks with alternative crops. The sharp rise in acreage could also lead to further depletion of the state's groundwater reserves, a concern repeatedly raised by environmentalists and agricultural economists.
A senior agriculture officer acknowledged the trend, saying, 'despite awareness drives and subsidies for alternative crops, the economics of paddy continues to draw farmers back, especially in the absence of a guaranteed market for alternatives like maize'.
As the state stares at another year of dominant paddy cultivation, the push for crop diversification seems to be facing an uphill battle yet again.
In contrast, the area under maize cultivation, which the government has been promoting as a water-saving alternative to paddy, has seen only 66,334 hectares this year till July 2, as against last year's around 80,000 hectares in the season. The sowing of maize still continues. The total maize area is around 3 per cent of the total paddy area, underlining the continued dominance of paddy in Punjab's cropping pattern.
This year, the Punjab government has launched a pilot project to enhance the maize cultivation in six districts — Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Bathinda, Sangrur, Pathankot and Gurdaspur. Under this scheme, farmers who divert their land from paddy to kharif maize will get an incentive of Rs 17,500 per hectare (approximately Rs 7,085 per acre) as the government aims to divert around 12,000 hectares (29,640 acres) under paddy to maize cultivation in the current kharif season.
Kharif maize, sown during the monsoon season, alongside paddy, relies primarily on rainfall and needs 3-5 times irrigation compared to 22-30 cycles by paddy depending upon long, medium and short durations paddy varieties. Experts term this shift 'critical' as Punjab's groundwater resources have been under relentless stress due to decades of intensive paddy farming but are disappointed that only little area is earmarked for diversification against the massive paddy area in the state.
Interestingly, a few districts have shown a notable push in maize cultivation. Ropar (Rupnagar) saw the maize area leap from just 110 hectares on July 2, 2024, to 19,200 hectares by July 2, 2025. Pathankot increased its maize area from 2,210 hectares to 3,200 hectares during the same period. Gurdaspur also saw an improvement, with the area rising from 270 hectares to 700 hectares so far.
However, seven districts in Punjab have yet to sow even a single acre under the crop till date. These districts include Barnala, Faridkot, Fazilka, Firozpur, Mansa, Muktsar, and Malerkotla. Notably, in Muktsar, maize cultivation had already reached around 5,500 hectares by this time last year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
22 minutes ago
- Mint
India-US trade deal elusive as New Delhi bats for retaliatory auto tariffs, steel remains challenge: 5 things we know
India-US trade deal remains elusive even as leaders of both the nations have assured of an agreement soon. With Donald Trump's July 9 deadline to expire in less than a week, negotiators are working on signing an agreement despite India despite New Delhi hardening its stance on tariffs. 1. Indian negotiators returned from the US on Friday, officials quoted by The Indian Express said. 'The trade negotiators have just returned. The talks are ongoing, but the deal is not contingent on any date. India's key interests are sustained access for labour-intensive goods such as textiles and footwear. Auto component exports are also a key interest,' they said. (This is a developing story. Check back for updates)
Hans India
24 minutes ago
- Hans India
Kuppam Airport project hits land acquisition hurdles
Tirupati: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's ambitious 'Kuppam Airport' project, a cornerstone of his development vision for the region, is currently facing significant roadblocks due to challenges in land acquisition. While most of the necessary land has been secured, officials are encountering resistance from a segment of farmers in Ramakuppam and Santhipuram mandals who are unwilling to relinquish their properties. The proposed greenfield domestic airport, earmarked for an investment of Rs 850 crore and planned across more than 1,400 acres, is envisioned to transform Kuppam into a strategic hub along the vital Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor. The 'Swarna Kuppam Vision 2029' document underscores the airport's pivotal role in catalysing industrial growth, streamlining logistics, and attracting crucial investments. Furthermore, several industrial parks being developed by the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) in the vicinity stand to benefit immensely from enhanced air connectivity. However, some farmers, many of whom have cultivated their lands for generations, have voiced strong opposition. They question the necessity of the airport and are reluctant to part with what they describe as valuable agricultural land. Protests have escalated, with reports indicating that some YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leaders have taken the matter to court. Despite these legal challenges, officials remain optimistic about a favorable verdict. While some landowners have accepted the government's offer of Rs 16 lakh per acre - an amount significantly higher than the officially assessed value of Rs 2-5 lakh - many others, including agricultural laborers and tenant farmers, continue to oppose the acquisition. The project was initially proposed in 2014 as a cargo airport, and during the previous Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government's tenure, approximately 500 acres were acquired with compensation paid. The Chief Minister had even performed the groundbreaking ceremony in 2018. However, the subsequent YSRCP government had completely sidelined the project. Now, Naidu has revised the plans, opting for a domestic Greenfield airport with an estimated budget of Rs 850 crore. Had the initial hurdles been cleared, the groundbreaking ceremony for the revised project would have been completed by now. Speaking at a public meeting and again during an interaction with party cadre on Thursday, Naidu made a passionate plea for the project. "An airport is a symbol of development. Some people are trying to provoke farmers not to give land. But we are offering an attractive package," he stated. Drawing a parallel with the Amaravati capital region, Naidu added, "We offered packages to those who gave land there as well. The same will be done here. It is not right to block development." He urged the public to support the initiative for the greater good of the region, emphasizing, "We need people's cooperation to develop Kuppam." All eyes are now on how the state government will navigate these persistent obstacles to realise the Chief Minister's vision of seeing planes land in Kuppam, transforming it into a gateway for economic growth and industrial transformation.
Indian Express
36 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Fifteen urban hubs can propel India's growth. We must unlock this potential
Cities are the engines of India's future growth, innovation and job creation. Just 15 urban hubs contribute 30 per cent of India's GDP. These 15 cities — Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Pune, Surat, Coimbatore, Noida/Greater Noida, Kochi, Gurugram, Vishakhapatnam, and Nagpur — will drive India's ability to become a $30+ trillion economy by 2047, facilitating an extra 1.5 per cent growth. Yet they do not get their due. These cities face numerous issues like extreme air pollution, urban flooding, water scarcity, lack of reliable internet connectivity, garbage, and slums. These are a direct reflection of how these cities expanded without proper planning or strong urban governance. Additionally, they also remain unprepared for the climate crisis. While cities like Bangkok, London, Dubai, and Singapore attract millions worldwide, Indian cities rarely feature as global destinations. How can we unlock their full potential? We must clean our cities' air. Approximately 42 of the 50 most polluted cities are in India. Vehicular emissions, construction dust and biomass burning are primary culprits. Public transport must be electrified at the earliest opportunity. Construction dust norms need to be implemented strictly. Budget 2025-26 announced the creation of a Rs 1 lakh crore Urban Challenge Fund — this can include a city-level grand challenge. Cities should be ranked and financial incentives disbursed based on performance. Solid waste management must be transformed. According to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), our cities produce upwards of 1,50,000 tonnes of solid waste daily, yet only a quarter is processed scientifically and sustainably. At the national level, India is estimated to generate about 62 million tonnes of municipal solid waste yearly, of which about 70 per cent is collected but only 30 per cent is processed. This is a failure of municipal governance. To fix it, state governments must build strong infrastructure — including purchasing vehicles for waste collection and transport — and train staff to handle these tasks effectively. Clear policies and regulations that promote performance-based accountability are key. Ultimately, better regulation, community involvement, and capacity-building is the only way to transform waste management into a sustainable, circular system — one that experts say could unlock as much as $73.5 trillion annually by 2030. Indore's model has shown immense promise. Door-to-door segregated waste is transported in specialised vehicles to world-class waste processing plants. Wet waste is processed into bio-CNG. Water stress is an urgent challenge. Nearly half of our rivers are polluted. In 2018, NITI Aayog predicted that 40 per cent of India's population would face water scarcity by 2030. Cities lose 40-50 per cent of piped water in transmission, and poor water quality worsens health issues. In Indore, sewage leakages into water bodies were plugged, leveraging GIS technology. Rainwater harvesting and reuse of treated water have turned Indore into India's first water-plus city. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Knight Frank estimate a shortfall of 10 million affordable homes, expected to triple to 31 million by 2030. Informal settlements have proliferated, resulting in illegal colonies with inadequate infrastructure support, including water and sanitation. Increasing floor space index (FSI) and floor area ratio (FAR) growth will promote vertical growth. Density-related incentives are a potential solution too, as highlighted by the G20 India and OECD report on 'Financing Cities of Tomorrow'. India's urban potential remains trapped behind congested and overburdened city environments. According to the Boston Consulting Group, the average Indian city dweller spends 1.5-2 hours daily stuck in traffic. Congestion also boosts emissions and pollution. To address this, we must prioritise investing in public transport. Implementing congestion-based pricing and harnessing AI and IoT for smart traffic management can also optimise flows. And roads will only be free of traffic if citizens follow rules and drive responsibly. While cities like Seoul, Singapore and Hong Kong offer internet speeds exceeding 1 Gbps, India's average mobile internet speed is just around 100 Mbps. To attract top global companies, multinational corporations setting up innovation centres, global capability centres (GCCs), and R&D hubs, India needs to dramatically upgrade its digital infrastructure. To do this, we need to expand high-speed broadband, 4G, and 5G across cities and rural areas. This requires cutting spectrum prices to attract investment, building extensive fibre-optic networks, and deploying 5G nationally. Effective urban reform depends on decentralised planning, governance, and financing. NITI Aayog reports that India has just one planner for every 1,00,000 people, while developed nations have one for every 5,000-10,000. Most Indian cities lack proper master plans. Full implementation of the 74th Constitutional Amendment must happen — along with increasing property tax collection, which is less than 0.2 per cent of GDP. Digitising land records, using tech for surveillance and tax collection, and exploring land value capture (LVC) can help cities generate revenue. Once cities can raise their own revenues, they can tap into municipal bond markets — though only after completing planning and governance reforms. Our cities carry centuries of history and should be world-class economic and cultural magnets. The steps outlined will make our cities cleaner, safer, more productive, and accessible. This must be paired with investments in walkable heritage zones and seamless urban experiences — which the government enables, and the private sector creates. The next decade is beyond a doubt an 'urban decade', and these 15 cities must drive India's urban renaissance. The writer was India's G20 sherpa and CEO of NITI Aayog
