With the beginning of the wheat procurement season, the government is making a concerted effort to promote cultivation of alternative crops to the water guzzling paddy in the upcoming kharif Marketing season (KMS).
On the agenda for the next crop marketing season is increasing the area under and basmati, promoting short duration variety of paddy and moong cultivation. This has been highlighted in the concept paper on crop diversification. The recommendations in this paper are now to be implemented by a committee headed by Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Janjua.
Area under cotton to be increased by 52 lakh hectares and area under basmati to be increased by 1.06 lakh hectares
Of the total area under paddy, 40 per cent to be brought under short duration variety
Number of moong procurement centres to be increased
No moong in four cotton growing districts, will help in curbing pink bollworm and whitefly attacks on cotton crop
All this is being done to stem the rapid depletion of groundwater, with the Central Ground Water Board warning of Desertification of Punjab by 2039