Fatehgarh Sahib, August 21:
To address the shortage of labour for paddy transplantation, reduce additional expenses, and help prevent further depletion of groundwater levels, the Punjab Government has undertaken a special initiative. Under this initiative, farmers practicing Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR) are provided an incentive of ₹1,500 per acre.
Chief Agriculture Officer Jagdev Singh said that the online portal for physical verification of DSR fields is currently open. In Fatehgarh Sahib district, 235 farmers have so far registered 1,297 acres on the online portal to avail themselves of the ₹1,500-per-acre incentive announced by the Punjab Government.
He said that direct seeding of paddy helps save labour, time, cultivation costs, expenses and groundwater. Under the DSR technique, appropriate herbicides should be applied at the right time and using the recommended method for effective weed control.
He further advised that if weeds such as sawanak, sawanki or murak are present in the paddy crop, 100 ml of Bispyribac 10 SC should be mixed with 100–150 litres of water and sprayed. For weeds such as motha, knot-grass/motha, ghirilla, mirch booti and dhoodhak, 8 grams of Almix should be mixed with 100–150 litres of water and sprayed at the 2–4 leaf stage.
The Agriculture Department will conduct physical verification of fields under direct-seeded paddy up to August 25, 2026, through its officers and field staff.
Farmers who have adopted DSR have been urged to ensure that their fields are physically verified by August 25. If a farmer’s field is not physically verified by this deadline, the portal will close after August 25, 2026, and the farmer will not be eligible to receive the ₹1,500-per-acre incentive.