Of these, 10 laser land levelers, will be given to the farmers of Faisalabad tehsil, 11 to Jaranwala, five each to Sammundri and Tandlianwala and three to Chak Jhumra.
An Agriculture Department official told The Express Tribune that they had already received 543 applications for these 34 leveling units.
He said 2,800 units would be distributed among farmers in the province in four phases under the Irrigation Reformation Project.
As many as 700 farmers would get these units in the first phase.
The official said the government would spend Rs630 to subsidise all of the 2,800 units.
One unit would carry a government subsidy of Rs225,000.
The official said the project was starting after a delay because of a shortage of funds.
He said the government had now approved and released the funds and directed the officials concerned to immediately start distributing these units.
Process :
Laser levelling
Laser leveling is a process of smoothing the land surface from its average elevation using laser-equipped drag buckets. This practice uses large horsepower tractors and soil movers that are equipped with global positioning systems (GPS) and/or laser-guided instrumentation so that the soil can be moved either by cutting or filling to create the desired slope. This technique is well known for achieving higher levels of accuracy in land leveling and offers great potential for water savings and higher grain yields.
The advent of the laser-controlled land levelling equipment has marked one of the most significant advances in surface irrigation technology. It has four essential elements: (1) the laser emitter; (2) the laser sensor; (3) the electronic and hydraulic control system; and (4) the tractor and grading implement.
Source: Food and Agriculture Organisation
Published in The Express Tribune, September 17th, 2012.
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