Unexpected heavy rain dims hopes of paddy farmers in Punjab, Haryana

Chandigarh, Sep 25 Paddy grower Gurdev Singh of Zira in Punjab's Ferozepur district was happy as the crop yield in the kharif season was healthy.

Suddenly, his desire to have a profitable crop, with an almost failure of wheat crop in the previous season, was washed away by unseasonal heavy rain in the northern food-bowl states in the past two days.

His fields were almost waterlogged with cultivators and experts saying on Sunday the downpour will be stalling harvesting with chances of crop damage and risks of pest attacks.

The damage is no different in neighbouring Haryana, a leading basmati rice exporter. Both Punjab and Haryana are among the major contributors of paddy to the Central pool.

Worried paddy growers, who were looking towards a great harvest, but the rain played spoilsport, have been demanding adequate compensation for the loss.

In the past rabi season, Punjab and Haryana wheat yields dipped by 49-45 quintals per hectare, a 20-year low. On an average, the yield fell by 20 per cent a hectare, say experts.

They say the heavy rainfall and waterlogging in fields will lead to higher moisture content in the paddy grains that could lead to lower remuneration to farmers due to the deterioration of quality of the grain.

Farmers in both the states rued the untimely rain and strong winds have flattened the standing wheat crop at most places.

The unseasonal rain also caught those farmers unawares who were unable to sell the paddy. Many farmers in Haryana stored their stocks at different mandis. They opted for early maturing paddy varieties, which had been recommended by the government as they required comparatively less water for cultivation.

"We have harvested the paddy crop well in time. Now the produce has been lying in the open in the market for the past four days owing to a strike by 'arhtiyas'

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