Why Punjab wants to ban the cultivation of PUSA-44 paddy variety

When did Punjab farmers begin cultivating PUSA-44?

• PUSA-44 was developed in 1993 by the Delhi based Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). Subsequently, Punjab’s farmers started sowing it in a few areas initially. After getting a high yield from the crops, they started increasing the area under PUSA-44 by multiplying the seed.
• By the end of 2010s, it had gained widespread popularity among farmers across the Punjab, covering approximately 70 to 80% of the area under paddy cultivation.
• By 2018, the Punjab government reduced the area under PUSA-44 to 18 per cent of the total area under paddy, but it rebounded to 22 per cent last year.

How much yield farmers are getting from PUSA-44 as compared to other varieties?

• Farmers claim that PUSA-44 yields nearly 85 to 100 mann (34 to 40 quintals) per acre, while other varieties’ yield average is 28 to 30 quintals per acre.
• Many farmers are able to get a yield of 36 to 40 quintals per acre with PUSA-44 if the weather is favourable. Currently, the Minimum Support Prince (MSP) offered for paddy is Rs 2,205 per quintal, so if it yields farmers 7-10 quintals more than the other varieties, then it will add to their income by Rs 15,000 to 22,000 per acre.

Why has the Punjab Agriculture Department discouraged its cultivation?

• PUSA-44 is a long-duration variety, taking around 160 days to mature. This is around 35 to 40 days more than other varieties, requiring 5-6 extra cycles of irrigation.
• With Punjab facing severe groundwater depletion and the availability of short-duration paddy varieties, the government aims to conserve one month of irrigation water by banning the variety.
• Additionally, the area under paddy, a water-intensive crop to begin with, continues to grow in the state. As many as 102 of the state’s 141 agricultural development blocks were declared ‘dark zones’, in which the rate of groundwater depletion exceeded the rate of recharge, and the water was available at depths of 200 to 300 feet or more – extractable only by using deep tube wells.
• Moreover, this variety is also known to exacerbate the long-running issue of stubble burning in the state.

How does PUSA-44 aggravate stubble burning in Punjab?

• Due to its extended maturity period, PUSA-44 is harvested just before the sowing of wheat, typically at the end of October, while the ideal time for wheat sowing is November 1. Ideally, farmers need 20 to 25 days between paddy harvesting and wheat sowing to manage stubble disposal properly.
• This limited time frame makes it challenging to manage stubble through in-situ and ex-situ methods (within the fields and outside the fields, respectively), leading to increased incidents of stubble burning. Additionally, PUSA varieties generate around 2 per cent more stubble than short varieties.