The Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department has increased the target under the Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) technique to 5 lakh acres in the state.
While last year, the department had set a target of 4 lakh acres for 12 paddy-growing districts, this year the increased targets (5 lakh acre) have been released for 22 districts, under the Promotion of Crop Diversification and Water Conservation for the year 2026-27.
The DSR involves the direct seeding of rice rather than the traditional transplantation method and it requires lesser water and labour. May 25 to June 15 is considered to be the optimum time for the DSR to get optimum yield.
Of total target of 5 lakh acre, the Sirsa district has been given the maximum target of 1.62 lakh acre, followed by Fatehabad (75,000 acre), Yamunanagar (35,000), Karnal, Panipat and Kurukshetra (30,000 acre each), Ambala (25,000) and Sonepat (20,000).
Jind and Kaithal have been given targets of 15,000 acre each, while Jhajjar, Palwal and Rohtak have been given targets of 10,000 acre each. Hissar has been given a target of 6,500 acres, Bhiwani and Mewat have been given a target of 5,000 acre each, Hansi (4,500), Charkhi Dadri (3,000), Gurugram and Panchkula (2,500 each), Faridabad and Rewari (2,000 acre each).
The scheme will be implemented in all the districts except Mahendragarh. The department will give an incentive of Rs 4,500 per acre to farmers opting for the DSR technique. As per the department, an additional budget will also be given to the districts if they exceed the given target.
Deputy Director Agriculture (DDA) Ambala Dr Jasvinder Singh said, “To conserve groundwater, the government and the agriculture department have been making sincere efforts to make farmers adopt DSR technique instead of the traditional method. The targets for the DSR have been received for the Kharif season 2026. The department has increased the targets, and also increased the coverage to 22 districts this year.”
“The technique is getting popular gradually. The field staff has been directed to ensure that the targets are achieved. The farmers have been showing a good interest in Ambala in adopting DSR technique. The farmers who have adopted the technique over the last few years have already started sowing through DSR,” he added.
