Pilot to replace paddy with water-saving kharif maize 'too little, too late': experts

A pilot project launched by the Punjab government to encourage farmers in six districts to shift from water-intensive paddy to kharif maize to address groundwater depletion and promote crop diversification has drawn flak from experts.Criticising the initiative, experts say the pilot covers too limited an area compared to the vast expanse under paddy cultivation in the state.

- GNS News Agency

They said the government should have aimed for at least 50,000 hectares for the pilot project. Additionally, they pointed out the project should have been launched in the first year of the AAP government's tenure, considering crop diversification is neither a new concept for Punjab nor any party in power. The six districts under the initiative are 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 7,08,5 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.