Patiala: Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan drives tractor, urges water-saving methods

Rajpura (Punjab) : Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan visited Punjab's Patiala district on Monday, where he drove a tractor, interacted with farmers, and promoted the method of direct seeding of paddy as a water-saving solution.

During his visit to Rauni village, Chouhan witnessed new farm mechanisation innovations and urged farmers across India to adopt the practice.

Speaking to the media persons, Chouhan said, "I bow to the land of Punjab... The farmers of Punjab feed the entire country with their hard work... Direct sowing of rice saves a lot of water... I urge the farmers of the whole country to do direct sowing to save water..."

He observed live demonstrations of two newly developed machines designed to reduce the labour and water required in traditional paddy cultivation.These machines combined multiple nursery preparation processes, such as bed-making, sowing, and covering soil, into one streamlined activity.

Chouhan explained, "Preparing a nursery for paddy and then transplanting paddy after the nursery is very hard work. It requires a lot of labour and also a lot of work. Two machines have been developed, which I have just seen."

He further said, "The different works that were to be done to prepare a nursery are now done together with this machine, from making the bed to sowing the seeds. The soil comes on top of it automatically. You just give water, and your nursery will be ready."

He highlighted the role of mechanisation in reducing farming hardships. Referring to an advanced machine that transplants paddy using remote control, he said, "You can control this machine directly in the field where paddy has to be transplanted; it is filled with water. You just keep running it with the remote control and transplanting of paddy will happen automatically."

According to Chouhan, the innovation made it possible to harvest up to 4 acres in a single day, making farming more scientific and cost-effective. He praised the spirit of Punjab's farmers and said, "I repeatedly salute the land of Punjab, this fertile land, the hardworking farmers of this place work with their sweat to fill the reserves of the country."

Emphasising the importance of grassroots communication with farmers, Chouhan said, "When we hold public meetings with them, we give speeches and leave, but when we sit in the community meeting and talk to the farmers, the good experiments they are doing come to the fore."

He confirmed that the Centre and the state government would work together to resolve the problems farmers are facing.

Chouhan also highlighted the success of direct paddy sowing in Punjab's fields, noting its benefits such as water conservation, reduced labour, and cost efficiency. He stated, "I want to tell the farmers of the entire India about this experiment of Punjab, that to save water, you should also do direct seeding. Come in this direction."

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