PUNJAB FARMERS ASSURED OF ADEQUATE POWER FOR PADDY SOWING
Chandigarh June 10:
Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) said that it had made adequate arrangements to meet power requirement for paddy sowing slated to start on Tuesday across the State.
The board has made arrangements with several States including Uttranchal, Himachal Pardesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat for sourcing power, said PSEB Chairman Y.S. Ratra in a release issued here.
PSEB has also tied up with power companies including Lanco, NVVN, PTC, JSW, Adani, TATA, Reliance for the supply of power till September this year, he said. Favourable weather conditions have also led to a comfortable power situation in the State, he said. “There have been no power cuts for the last 15 to 20 days. Even the one day weekly off day for industries has been relaxed on day-to-day basis”, he said.
The demand for power till Sunday stood at 1050 lakh units, which is lesser by about 257 units than last year. Ratra said PSEB would meet the total anticipated requirement of 25,300 million units for the period between April and September 2008 against last year’s requirement of 23,700 million units.
Another change is expected this Kharif season. The area under paddy cultivation in Punjab is likely to increase by 50,000 hectares as against last year’s on account of higher minimum support price (MSP) proposed for the current Kharif season. “This year, the total area under paddy crop in Punjab will reach 26.50 lakh hectares against 26 lakh hectares brought under the crop last year because of higher MSP proposed for this crop,” Punjab State Farmers Commission, Economist, P.S. Rangi said on Monday, a day before the paddy plantation in the State begins.
Though the increase in the MSP is likely, the Centre has still not finalised the proposed paddy MSP of Rs.1000 per quintal for common grade and Rs.1050 per quintal for Grade-A variety. An increase in the area under paddy is likely to cut down the area under cotton crop which is also at the sowing stage. The area under cotton is expected to remain at 6 lakh hectares against the target of 6.50 lakh hectares during Kharif season this year.
The Punjab Government has asked the farmers not to grow paddy before June 10 in view of depleting water table in the State. The State had even introduced Punjab Preservation of Subsoil Water Ordinance 2008 to prevent the early plantation of paddy in the State, an official said.
Chandigarh June 10:
Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) said that it had made adequate arrangements to meet power requirement for paddy sowing slated to start on Tuesday across the State.
The board has made arrangements with several States including Uttranchal, Himachal Pardesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat for sourcing power, said PSEB Chairman Y.S. Ratra in a release issued here.
PSEB has also tied up with power companies including Lanco, NVVN, PTC, JSW, Adani, TATA, Reliance for the supply of power till September this year, he said. Favourable weather conditions have also led to a comfortable power situation in the State, he said. “There have been no power cuts for the last 15 to 20 days. Even the one day weekly off day for industries has been relaxed on day-to-day basis”, he said.
The demand for power till Sunday stood at 1050 lakh units, which is lesser by about 257 units than last year. Ratra said PSEB would meet the total anticipated requirement of 25,300 million units for the period between April and September 2008 against last year’s requirement of 23,700 million units.
Another change is expected this Kharif season. The area under paddy cultivation in Punjab is likely to increase by 50,000 hectares as against last year’s on account of higher minimum support price (MSP) proposed for the current Kharif season. “This year, the total area under paddy crop in Punjab will reach 26.50 lakh hectares against 26 lakh hectares brought under the crop last year because of higher MSP proposed for this crop,” Punjab State Farmers Commission, Economist, P.S. Rangi said on Monday, a day before the paddy plantation in the State begins.
Though the increase in the MSP is likely, the Centre has still not finalised the proposed paddy MSP of Rs.1000 per quintal for common grade and Rs.1050 per quintal for Grade-A variety. An increase in the area under paddy is likely to cut down the area under cotton crop which is also at the sowing stage. The area under cotton is expected to remain at 6 lakh hectares against the target of 6.50 lakh hectares during Kharif season this year.
The Punjab Government has asked the farmers not to grow paddy before June 10 in view of depleting water table in the State. The State had even introduced Punjab Preservation of Subsoil Water Ordinance 2008 to prevent the early plantation of paddy in the State, an official said.
