Punjab to promote sowing of pulses

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government has initiated an ambitious plan to promote sowing of pulses to make the state self dependent and fulfill the protein needs of states poor population. Under this programme, expected to cost Rs 148.79 million, the state government will distribute ‘pulses drills’ among growers on subsidised rates during 2015-16 and one tehsil will be selected from each district for this purpose.

Disclosing this here today an official spokesperson of the Agriculture Department said that the main purpose of this plan was to reduce the dependence on imports, which has become a permanent feature, by providing incentives to growers for raising production and by discouraging them from shifting to other crops. In fact, it was due to farmers’ frequent shifting to other crops such as wheat, rice and cotton that a USDA report last year expected no significant breakthrough in domestic production of pulses in the near term. Besides, production keeps fluctuating, causing sudden drops and rises in its volume, area under cultivation and imports as well.

He said that normally, a ‘grain drill’ or ‘seed drill’ is a sowing device that precisely positions seeds in the soil and then covers them. Farmers having 5-25 acres of land would be eligible for the provision of drills for the sowing of pulses in a row and normally, a ‘grain drill’ or ‘seed drill’ is a sowing device that precisely positions seeds in the soil and then covers them. It was originally invented in Mesopotamia by 2000 BC and consisted of a wooden plough equipped with a seed hopper and a tube that conveyed the seed to the furrow. The use of a seed drill, it is believed, can greatly improve a crop’s yield.

 He said that farmers having 5-25 acres of land are eligible for the provision of drills for the sowing of pulses in a row. While the local production of lentil and mash remains inadequate to satisfy consumers’ appetite, the production of Moong is also declining due to its replacement by the cotton crop in its core area.

The Punjab government will, under the new plan, conduct training programmes for farmers in modern production technology, provide certified seeds at subsidised rates and hold demonstrations of the use of latest techniques for sowing pulses at farmers’ fields. Besides, measures will be taken to promote pulses, along with other crops, in irrigated areas to attain the project’s objectives.