Punjab's paddy area hits all-time high of 32.76 lakh hectares

Punjab is a place in India where farmers grow a lot of rice, which is called paddy.

This year, farmers planted rice on more land than ever before — the biggest amount in the state's recorded history.

Most of the farmland in Punjab during this growing season is now used for rice.

Rice needs a lot of water to grow, and Punjab's water supply is running low.

The government has been asking farmers to grow other crops, like cotton, maize and sugarcane, to save water.

But farmers are growing less of those crops than they used to.

Cotton, once a major crop, is now grown on far less land than before.

Farmers say they keep planting rice because it gives them a guaranteed market and a secure income.

Officials say farmers will only switch to other crops if the government promises to buy those crops too.

So even though everyone knows rice uses a lot of water, farmers still plant it because it is the safest way for them to earn money.