Chandigarh, June 26 -- Punjab has recorded a 16% increase in the adoption of direct seeding of rice (DSR) this kharif season, with 26,896 farmers bringing 3.41 lakh acres under the water-saving cultivation method, agriculture and farmers welfare minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian said on Friday.

The expansion marks a significant jump from last year, when 25,853 farmers adopted DSR across 2.93 lakh acres. Encouraged by the growing response, the state government has increased the allocation for the scheme to Rs.40 crore for the 2026-27 financial year, up from Rs.35.16 crore disbursed in 2025. Farmers enrolled under the scheme receive an incentive of Rs.1,500 per acre through direct benefit transfer (DBT).

DSR method is a water-saving cultivat...