Chandigarh: Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann unveiled a strategic blueprint for the 2026 paddy cultivation season this Wednesday, introducing a zonal system designed to mitigate the environmental impact of rice farming. By categorizing the state into four distinct geographical sectors, the administration aims to prevent the simultaneous extraction of groundwater and stabilize the electrical grid. This phased rollout is intended to spread the energy load more evenly across the state’s infrastructure while simultaneously solving the logistical challenge of seasonal labour availability by broadening the planting timeframe.
The provincial directive establishes that the Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR) technique can be initiated across all regions of Punjab from May 15 through the end of the month. Traditional transplantation methods will follow a tiered timeline to manage resources effectively. Farmers in Zone 2, covering districts such as Gurdaspur, Pathankot, and Amritsar, are scheduled to begin on June 1. Following this, Zone 3 regions including Bathinda and Ferozepur will start on June 5, while the final phase for Zone 4, encompassing major hubs like Ludhiana, Patiala, and Jalandhar, is set for June 9.
To facilitate a smooth transition for the agricultural community, the state has committed to providing eight hours of continuous electricity daily for farming operations. Furthermore, the irrigation department will release canal water starting May 1 to ensure adequate moisture for initial sowing activities. Beyond immediate resource management, this staggered cultivation cycle is expected to have a positive ripple effect on the backend of the season, allowing for more orderly crop arrivals at grain markets and reducing the likelihood of storage crises during the procurement phase.
In his address to the state’s farmers, Mann emphasized the critical necessity of adopting water-efficient technologies like DSR to safeguard Punjab’s ecological future. The government maintains that moving away from synchronized, high-intensity transplantation is the only viable path toward sustainable agriculture. By implementing these rigorous zoning laws, the administration hopes to balance the economic needs of the agrarian sector with the urgent requirement to preserve the region’s dwindling natural assets.
