From Rs 57 a litre in May 2017, the fuel, essential to level land and prepare it for paddy using a tractor, now costs nearly Rs 70 a litre in the state, a hike of 23%. Each acre of paddy cultivation requires 70-100 litre as input, so the increase in per acre input cost will be Rs 1,000. Even as the central government is not shy of proclaiming its intent to double farmers’ income by 2022, the reality on the ground is that farmers are strapped with having to bear at least 25% hike in their input cost for paddy this year. This is due to the runaway hike in prices of just one input, diesel. From Rs 57 a litre in May 2017, the fuel, essential to level land and prepare it for paddy using a tractor, now costs nearly Rs 70 a litre in the state, a hike of 23%. Each acre of paddy cultivation requires 70-100 litre as input, so the increase in per acre input cost will be Rs 1,000. Karamjeet Singh, from Sukhan Wala village in Faridkot, said, I sow paddy in 24 acre and need 1,600 litre during the paddy season. From Rs 90,000 I spent on diesel last year, my cost this year will be at least Rs 1.15 lakh (25% hike). There will be a big dent in profit. Jaskaran Singh, who will sow paddy in 18 acres, said farmers suffered a similar shock in 2014 when diesel prices had risen to Rs 56 from Rs 49 in 2013.