Paddy Procurement Delay

Subject – Economy

Context – Punjab, Haryana farmers are upset about paddy procurement delay

Concept –

Only the paddy crop is procured by the government on minimum support price, while basmati is purchased by private players/basmati exporters in both states.
Today, farmers opt for any of several short-duration varieties that offer high yield. Farmers mainly in Punjab prefer varieties that mature in 93 to 110 days — excluding a nursery period of 25-20 days when seeds are grown into young plants and then transplanted to the fields from the date fixed (June 10 and June 15). The shorter varieties will have started maturing by the end of September.
- According to Punjab Agriculture University (PAU), Ludhiana, over 70% of the paddy area in Punjab is under short-duration varieties now, with very little area under traditional varieties such as PUSA-44 that mature in 160 days.
DSR (direct seeding of rice) does not require a puddling process as well as stagnant water in the field at least for three weeks after sowing.
Delayed procurement raises concerns about increased stubble burning this year. This is because farmers, who get only 20 to 25 days between paddy harvesting and wheat sowing to manage the paddy stubble during normal procurement time, will get only 9-15 days this.
Paddy harvesting takes 20 to 25 days and if farmers start it on October 11, it will stretch into the beginning of November.