Summer paddy cultivation in Terai region likely to be banned

Rudrapur, Jan 13 (PTI) In a bid to tackle the continuous decline in groundwater levels, the administration is planning to impose a ban on summer or off-season paddy cultivation in the Terai region of Uttarakhand.

Udham Singh Nagar District Magistrate Nitin Singh Bhadauria has indicated that the potential ban, which would be in effect from February 1 to April 30, could be extended to the entire Terai region of the state, including parts of Nainital and Haridwar districts.

He said that permission for summer paddy cultivation will not be granted this year.

A large part of the Terai region of Uttarakhand, located in the foothills of the Himalayas, falls within the Udham Singh Nagar district, known as the 'granary' of the state.

The ban, if implemented, will affect approximately 15,000 farmers in the district.

In 2024, the administration had also imposed a ban on summer paddy cultivation, but it was later temporarily lifted at the request of the farmers.

However, this time, the administration seems ready to take a stricter stance on groundwater conservation.

Meanwhile, paddy farmers say they have been cultivating summer paddy for years, which gives them an additional crop each year. The farmers said that if the ban is imposed, it will seriously affect their economic condition.

Although no formal order has yet been issued by the administration regarding the ban, ongoing indications have left farmers confused about whether to sow off-season paddy this time.

Amid the debate over agriculture and water conservation, the farmers of the Terai region are awaiting the administration's final decision. PTI DPT DRR