November 6, 2023

Government supply of heat-tolerant wheat to Punjab, India, runs dry

Farmers in Punjab, India, are left high and dry during the wheat sowing season as the government's stock of the award-winning variety of wheat seed, PBW-826, has already been exhausted.

The heat-tolerant variety was developed and launched by the Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) last year.

Agriculture department director Jaswant Singh confirmed that PB-826 wheat variety stocks have ran out.

It was after four years of clinical and field trials that the PBW-826 variety, characterised by its better heat tolerance, was developed and introduced by the PAU last year. The new variety had witnessed 31% and 17% higher yield than the HD-3086 and HD-2967 varieties, respectively.

In the absence of the government's supply of PBW-826, farmers are forced to purchase the seeds from private sellers who are selling these at higher prices.

Kulwinder Singh, a wheat farmer from Sangrur, said PBW-826 seeds "are not available at government outlets." T

"The government should sell seeds at subsidised rates at co-operative societies," Singh remarked.

Ravneet Singh Brar, national spokesperson of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) Kadian, said: "The government should make the process of buying seeds easier. As of now, to avail any seed from government, farmers have to fill an online form which is quite cumbersome for farmers."

- Hindustan Times