Days after deciding to postpone for five days the paddy transplantation this year to save further decline of groundwater level, the Punjab Government on Wednesday decided to allow transplantation of non-basmati variety of paddy from June 10 instead of the scheduled date—June 15.
The approval to the move was given by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal after various farmers’ organisations apprised him that the peasantry was facing a lot of problems as they have already started the process of transplanting the paddy. They maintained that farmers’ woes would accentuate further if late transplantation of the paddy crop was done. Acceding to their demands, the Chief Minister had directed the Agriculture department to allow the sowing of paddy crop from June 10 onwards.
Notably, with the Model Code of Conduct for the general elections 2014 in force till May 20, the notification in this regard could not be issued, and later the State Government announced that paddy transplantation would begin from June 15 during the current season. Badal has also asked the Punjab State Power Corporation limited (PSPCl) to make necessary arrangements for supplying requisite power for sowing the crop from June 10, so that farmers do not face any sort of problem.However, the spokesperson said that the transplantation of non-basmati variety of paddy would commence from June 15 from the next crop season across the State.