Dhampur: Farmers have been advised to grow moong and urad along with the spring sugarcane crop to increase their income and improve soil fertility. The agriculture department has started distributing seeds of these pulses free of cost to farmers who have completed online registration, Amar Ujala reported.
Officials said farmers can book seeds online and collect them until March 16. They added that sowing improved varieties of moong and urad can help farmers get higher yields and strengthen their financial condition.
Sompal Singh, in-charge of the government seed store in Dhampur, said certified seeds supplied by Hill India Limited are available at government seed centres across the district. Seed distribution has been taking place in Dhampur for the past two days.
He advised farmers to prepare their fields with organic manure and carry out deep ploughing before sowing. This, he said, would improve soil fertility and help achieve better crop production.
According to officials, the agriculture department is distributing certified moong varieties MH-1142 and IPM-512-1. Dhampur received 70.08 quintals of moong seed, of which 35 quintals have already been distributed.
For urad, 22.20 quintals of seed were allocated, including the varieties IPU-13-1 and IPU-11-02. Most of the stock has already been distributed and only 9.06 quintals remain at the centre.
Officials said March is considered the most suitable time for sowing moong and urad. Crops sown before the end of the month are expected to show good germination and healthy growth.
They added that growing pulses along with sugarcane can give farmers an additional source of income, while the crop also enriches the soil with nitrogen after harvest, helping improve sugarcane yields.
