Heavy rain, accompanied by strong winds and hailstorms in certain regions of Punjab on Monday morning, has caused considerable concern for farmers and agriculture officials. This adverse weather comes at a critical time as the harvest and procurement of paddy are currently in progress. Reports of hailstorms have been received from the Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, and Patiala districts.
The inclement weather at this stage could potentially delay the harvest by up to two weeks and affect the grain quality due to an anticipated increase in moisture content.
Jaswant Singh, the director of agriculture in Punjab, has already requested reports regarding the extent of damage caused by the rain and strong winds across the state. He explained, “We will receive the report by Monday evening or Tuesday morning. Currently, we have reports of lodging of standing crops and accumulation of water in fields.” Singh expressed his concerns for farmers, particularly given the forecast for additional rain on Tuesday. He noted that “harvesting has been delayed due to the weather conditions. The crop’s health will be impacted in areas that experienced hailstorms and in regions where paddy was sown late due to floods. We are closely monitoring the situation and will provide all necessary assistance to farmers.”
Punjab’s government agencies have procured approximately 22.7 lakh tonnes of paddy since October 1, with an expected production of nearly 182 lakh tonnes of paddy for the year. This year, paddy cultivation covers 31.93 hectares in Punjab.
District agriculture authorities have been instructed to closely assess the situation on the ground, especially considering reports of waterlogging and lodging of crops in the districts.
According to Kapurthala’s chief agriculture officer, Naresh Kumar Gulati, rain at this stage could negatively affect the quality of paddy grain, making it vulnerable to issues like shriveling, blackening, and discoloration.
Jaswant Rai, chief agriculture officer in Jalandhar, described the rain as a double blow for paddy growers in the Doaba region. “Previously, their paddy crops were damaged due to floods, and now they face a similar situation during the harvest. We have 1.75 lakh hectares of area under paddy, and the crop in 94% of the area is yet to be harvested. Nearly 5,000 hectares under paddy were damaged due to the monsoon floods,” he explained.
Farmers like Parminder Singh from Mand village are calling on the government to provide adequate compensation and immediate financial relief to those affected by these adverse weather conditions.
