Bayer CropScience and MARKFED to promote complete package of Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) in Punjab

CHANDIGARH: “Bayer CropScience is an innovation leader and continually strives to introduce technologies beneficial to the Indian farmer. This MoU we hope will facilitate better productivity and all round development for promoting rice cultivation in the country,” said Jens Hartmann, Country Head, India, Head of Bayer CropScience, South Asia. 

He was speaking on the occasion of Bayer Crop Science, India and Punjab State Co-operative Supply and Marketing Federation  (MARKFED) signing a formal MoU to collaborate to promote and develop complete package of Direct Seeded Rice in Punjab to save depleted water through present practice of transplanted rice on Friday. 

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“A key objective of the MOU is to work together for improving rice cultivation. Bayer CropScience a leader in weed management and seed treatment the perfect working partner to MARKFED Asia's largest marketing cooperative with over 3000 societies and represents the interests of over a million farmers of state of Punjab. This endeavour, we hope will improve prospects for rice production in the light of limited water resources,” added Jens Hartmann on the occasion.

 

J  S Wahid, Chairman, MARKFED said, “Punjab alone accounts for more than 2.5 million hectares of transplanted paddy. The DSR method of growing rice uses less water and results in low Methane emission compared to the traditional transplanting method. Bayer CropScience will be an ideal partner for us in this effort in the long run as they are leaders in offering comprehensive end to end solutions. MARKFED is committed to strengthen our cooperation and partnership with Bayer CropScience to bring social and economic development through innovative methods of farming.”

 

A S Pannu, Managing Director , MARKFED, said, “Transplanted rice requires lot of water at a time when there is little water in the reservoirs, destroys soil structure and adversely affects soil productivity. The DSR method overcomes the problem of seasonality in labour requirement for rice nursery-raising and transplanting operations in Punjab. Developing DSR concept is another effort in the direction of betterment of farming community by MARKFED in Punjab”. He added.

 

MARKFED have more than 50,000 acres under contract farming for Basmati rice in Punjab and has a buyback arrangement from farmers for domestic and international consumption thus earning a substantial foreign exchange. In addition, MARKFED provides innumerable services to the average farmer in terms of procurement, storage, processing and marketing of agricultural produce, soil and water sample testing through mobile laboratories for optimum use of fertilisers to increase farm productivity and processing and marketing of high quality edible products like sugar, basmati rice, canned products refined oils (groundnut, cottonseed, sunflower and mustard) and hydrogenated oil – Vanaspati.

 

The DSR project shall be initiated on approximately 500 Acres of field located in 13 districts of Punjab, which would be expanded up to 20,000 acres in five districts of Punjab in the next 3 – 5 years.

 

The total 500 acres of DSR will include acres of approved Basmati varieties.  Bayer CropScience will provide end to end solutions including crop protection packages with appropriate trainings and demos on usage of its plant protections products.