Chandigarh, Sep 20 (IANS): Punjab, a major producer of foodgrain, is all set to introduce direct seeding of paddy, Punjab Deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said Saturday.

Badal, who was on a two-day visit to south India, said the Punjab government would launch a joint project with Nuziveedu Seeds to promote direct seeding of paddy in all blocks of the state next year.

Paddy is generally sown in June-July every year.

Badal, after a meeting with Nuziveedu Seeds Chairman Prabhakar Rao and other senior officials in Hyderabad, said the direct seeding programme for paddy will be introduced initially on five acres of land in all blocks of Punjab.

"Once this technique is successfully demonstrated in the field, we can initiate the process of popularising it among the farmers," Badal said, adding that the direct seed plantation could be a "game changer" for paddy cultivation.

Nuziveedu officials made a presentation on a comparative study of direct sowing method of paddy vis-a-vis the traditional transplantation method.

So far, farmers prepare paddy seedlings and the transplantation is then carried out in the fields.

Badal said the paddy seed sowing method could help to reduce the requirement of water and conserve the falling water table in Punjab. He said the requirement of power during paddy season for irrigating fields would also reduce as less water will have to be used.