Summer Moong (green gram) cultivation in Punjab has set a new record this year with sowing over 1.25 lakh acres (50,000 hectares), an increase of around 70,000 acres from the previous season.

This follows an appeal by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to state farmers to save water by adopting patterns of alternative crops in the state. The state government has already issued a notification to procure the entire crop on a minimum support price (MSP)of Rs 7275 per quintal.

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As per the notification, the harvesting period of summer moong falls in the month of June 2022 and the procurement period is from 1 June to 31 July.

As per the data compiled by the state agriculture department on the basis of final field reports received from all the districts, it was cultivated over an area of nearly 1.25 lakh acres (50,000 hectares) as compared to 55,000 acres (22,000 hectares) during 2020-21.

Approximately, 56750 acres (22700 hectares) area in 2019-20 and 40750 acres (16300 hectares) in 2018-19 area under this crop across the state.

As per fresh reports of state agriculture department, Bathinda district led the state in sowing moong over 31072 acres (12429 hectares) while last year only 500 hectares under this crop in this district. Followed by Mansa 25,000 acres (10,000 hectares), Moga 12675 acres (5070 hectares), Sri Muktsar Sahib 11975 acres (4790 hectares), and Ludhiana 10,750 acres (4300 hectares)

According to the director (agriculture) Gurvinder Singh, this step would supplement farmers’ income by sowing another crop between wheat-paddy cycles.

The moong cultivators would have to sow paddy 126 varieties or basmati in the same field after harvesting moong as both these crops take far less time for maturity as well as require much less water as compared to other varieties of paddy.

According to a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s office, following “persistent efforts of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann”, the Union government has conveyed to the state government through a letter, conveying its approval to implement the Price Support Scheme (PSS) for procurement of 4585 metric tonnes (MT) of summer moong in Punjab for Rabi season 2021-22  as per the PSS guidelines, 2018.