Ludhiana, April 16 -- With the government's impetus on saving groundwater, the area under water guzzling summer maize fell by over 32% in 2024 compared to 2023, as per the data collected by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU).

In 2023, summer maize was grown over around 66,817 hectares, and in 2024, the total area was 44,834 hectares, a dip of 21,983 hectares.

According to PAU experts, the dip is the result of a sustained campaign and making farmers aware of alternative crops like pulses, which can also fetch the same or equivalent remuneration as summer maize.

Ludhiana chief agriculture officer Gurdeep Singh said that the department ran village-level camps regularly where the farmers were made aware of the strain the summer maize add...