Chandigarh, (the stellar news)- To prevent the excess use of fertilizers in the state, the Punjab Government directed the Agriculture Department to intensify the efforts to make farmers aware about the judicious use of fertilizers. Additional Chief Secretary Development Viswajeet Khanna said that instructions have been issued to officials of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department to ensure disseminating requisite information regarding use of fertilizers judiciously at the grassroots level so that the input cost of farmers could be reduced. A massive awareness campaign should be launched to motivate farmers in this regard by organizing Kisan camps etc.
Urging the farmers to follow the recommendations being issued by the department time to time in view of ensuing Kharif season, Mr. Khanna said that this exercise would be beneficial for the farming fraternity, which would not only ensure the increased yield but also maintain the soil health.
-ACS URGES FARMERS TO FOLLOW RECOMMENDATIONS OF DEPARTMENT FOR BETTER YIELD, SOIL HEALTH
The Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has advised to the farmers that use only recommended dose of fertilizers to get more profit by decrease in cost of cultivation. It has also guided the farmers that the over dose of DAP has used during Rabi season, then there is no need to use DAP again during Kharif season in such fields. The dose of urea can also be decrease to half/one-third of the recommended dose. The department also trying to motivate the farmers to incorporate of Green Manuring crops in the soil before the planting of Paddy crops in such fields. This will not only leads to decline in the consumption of fertilizers, but it also plays a vital role in improve the texture of the soil.
With the introduction of high yielding varieties as well as with hi-tech technology, farmers are trying to getting more and more production from per unit area, which leads to increase in cropping intensity up to 204% So, to achieve the maximum yield, farmers are using different type of fertilizers. Majority of the farmers are using over dose of the Fertilizers to get maximum yield, which results into not only increase in the cost of cultivation but also severely affects the texture of the soil negatively. Apart from, it excess use of Fertilizers may also cause the occurrence of disease/pest incidence, which may cause decline in yields instead of boosting the crop.
