Ludhiana, July 8 -- The Punjab government's much-publicised push for kharif maize-touted as a sustainable alternative to water-guzzling paddy-has found few takers in the district. According to the agriculture department, kharif maize has been sown on just 320 hectares this season, in stark contrast to the 16,000 hectares under the summer maize cultivation.

"So far this kharif season, only 320 hectares in the district have been cultivated with maize. Summer maize, on the other hand, has covered 16,000 hectares," said chief agriculture officer Gurdeep Singh.

Kharif maize is considered an environmentally viable substitute for paddy, requiring just 200 litres of water to produce a kilogram of maize-compared to paddy's massive 3,000-litre re...