Coronavirus lockdown: Shortage of labour leads to 8-fold increase in direct sowing of rice in Punjab

Shortage of migrant labourers has helped Punjab increase the area under ‘Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR)’. Due to the coronavirus pandemic and resultant nationwide lockdown, a large number of migrant workers have returned to the native states causing a shortage of farm labour.

The increase in area under DSR is 8.60 times higher than last year, the Indian Express has reported.

According to estimates, by the time sowing ends, around 22 to 26 percent of the total targeted area of paddy will be brought under the DSR technique, which saves water and is less labour intensive.

Follow our LIVE blog for the latest updates of the novel coronavirus pandemic

Paddy transplantation using the traditional way, the puddle method, begins from June 10. However, DSR sowing can start around 2-3 weeks before.

In the normal transplanting method, farmers have to prepare nurseries where the paddy seeds are first sown. 25-35 days later, these seedlings are uprooted and replanted in the main field.

However, while using the DSR technique, nursery preparation or transplantation is not needed, and paddy seeds are directly drilled into the field by a tractor-powered machine. This also eliminates the need for manual labour. Punjab requires at least 6 lakh labourers to transplant paddy on 27-28 lakh hectares of farm land.

Till date, Punjab has already completed paddy sowing via DSR on around 2 lakh hectares of the total targeted paddy area, even before the traditional method of transplantation begins. In 2018, the area under DSR was 5,000 hectares, while it increased to 23,300 hectares in 2019. Compared to last year alone, the increase is 8.60 times.

Director of Punjab Agriculture Department, Sutantar Kumar Airi said that they are surprised that the farmers are “chasing DSR this year, when earlier they used to run away from it”.

“Due to the shortage of labour, more and more farmers are opting for the DSR technique," Airi said, adding that over 2 lakh hectares area has already been covered under DSR.

We expect to cover around 6 lakh hectares under DSR this year, he added.

Click here for Moneycontrol’s full coverage of the novel coronavirus pandemic