Indian Punjab authorities urge farmers to replace rice with corn

Farmers in Punjab, India, will be economically encouraged to grow maize instead of paddy, the state government has decided, the Indo Times reported on June 4.

According to the report, the Punjab government is keen for the state’s agriculture sector to increase its maize output at the expense of rice. In particular, because the Indian government has allowed petrol to be diluted with 20 percent ethanol, which has increased the demand for maize.

“The [state] government has initiated a pilot project to reduce the area under rice and shift it to maize… The objective is to induce farmers to shift from rice cultivation to maize on 10,000 hectares in six districts of Punjab, namely Sangrur, Bhatinda, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Jalandhar and Kapurthala,” the report said.

The authorities intend to encourage farmers by paying a reward of 17,500 rupees (~$200) per hectare of corn per year. In addition, the purchase of grown products will be ensured, for which a minimum guaranteed price of 2,400 rupees (~$28) per quintal has been set.

“Corn will be planted only in those fields where rice was previously planted,” the publication notes. However, the authorities urge priority attention to be paid to sowing rice. This will begin on June 9, and corn at the end of the month.

To ensure the transition to the new crop, according to the report, specially trained workers will help farmers. Farmers will also be provided with subsidies for the purchase of equipment.

Tags: corn, rice, India