Sangrur has a poor track record. As per the data shared by the Punjab Report Sensing Centre (PRSC) in Ludhiana, Sangrur district has been topping the state in farm fire incidents for the past seven years. Despite strict checks and penalties, the district which offers the highest production of paddy in the state, also has the highest paddy residue burning cases.
While PAU developed short duration paddy variety PR 126, which takes 123 days (transplantation takes 95 to 105 days) to mature if the crops are grown through the DSR technique. There are also savings on pesticides and labour. Pusa-44, on the other hand, matures in about 160 days.
The harvesting of paddy crops often gets delayed, usually in the first or second week of November, in Sangrur due to sowing of the long-duration paddy varieties.