Chandigarh, April 8 -- After the chief minister's announcement to start paddy transplantation from June 1 this year, farmers are opting for long-duration PUSA-44 variety, raising the hackles of the experts who say that the efforts to improve paddy cropping patterns, made in the past few years, will go to waste.

Last year, the area under the variety was reduced to 16%, and it was being phased out as two years ago, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), which has produced the variety, had announced to stop the seed production and had asked farmers to stop its cultivation. However, some farmers and companies have kept the seed, which is now being sold for setting up nurseries.

To start the transplantation of paddy saplings the...