Farmers Movement Archive

Rain throws wheat lifting in Punjab mandis out of gear

Moderate to heavy rainfall in different parts of Punjab brought ongoing wheat procurement as well as the crop harvesting to a halt on Monday afternoon, besides leading to increased moisture content in the grain. Patiala district was the worst-hit with 15mm rainfall in a span of an hour, followed by Ludhiana at 5mm. On Monday, the field staff of the agriculture department remained on their toes, carrying out surveys to assess the damage caused by inclement weather. The rain further delayed harvesting as reports of crop flattening poured in from various places. “The rain disrupted procurement in Patiala and Ludhiana districts. It also slowed down operations in Fategarh Sahib, Khanna, Jalandhar, Rupnagar, Kapurthala, Patiala and Mohali districts,” said additional chief secretary Viswajeet Khanna, who heads the state-level committee on harvesting and procurement.‘Farmers already at the receiving end’Arshdeep Singh, a farmer from Bhadson town in Patiala district, said the rain flattened nearly half of his crop that was yet to be harvested. “Rain at this stage of the harvesting season is a cause of concern. The farmers are already facing a lot of difficulties in harvesting and selling their produce in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak,” he said.“The farmers who are yet to harvest the crop will have to wait longer. Also, there will be delays in procuring the produce lying in open areas at the grain markets,” Patiala chief agriculture officer Surjit Singh Walia said.Harbans Singh Rosha, chairman of the committee at the Khanna mandi, the second biggest grain market in Asia, said, “The farmers are already facing an acute shortage of labour. Now, inclement weather is adding to their woes. We got a rain alert and kept the grain under cover but some grain markets have no sheds.”Anup Singh Grewal, a farmer from Ludhiana district, said, “The bad news is that the meteorological department has predicted rain in the next few days as well.” ‘Govt should provide relief to those affected’ Kulwinder Singh, a farmer from Mehatpur town in Jalandhar district, said, the state government must assess the losses and provide compensation accordingly. District agriculture officer Naresh Gulati said, “Our field officers are collecting reports on damage to the crop caused by the rain.” District mandi officer Devinder Singh said the produce that arrived in the district’s grain markets in the morning was lifted or was kept under the sheds. Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU Ekta-Ugrahan) leader Jhanda Singh Jethuke said high-speed winds and hailstorms along with rain has only worsened the situation.As per the state agriculture department, wheat harvesting on 16% area in the state was over and 13 lakh tonne produce was procured till Monday. It will cause serious damage to crops: PAUPunjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, vice-chancellor Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon said the rain caused a serious damage to the crops.“Not only the standing crop has suffered a damage, but also the produce kept or stored in the open will be spoilt due to rain. Now, it would be difficult to harvest the crop with a combine. Besides, prolonged drying may lead to shattering of grain. Also, there is a fear of fungus and discolouration of grain,” said Dr Dhillon.Surendra Paul, regional director of the India Meteorology Department (IMD), said 5 to 15mm rainfall was reported in different parts of state and it took the relative humidity up to 64-90%.The Punjab food and civil supplies department, which drives procurement along with four state government procurement agencies and the Food Corporation of India (FCI), has asked the farmers to bring produce to grain markets with moisture content not beyond 12%. The advisory was issued to follow the medical protocols to avoid crowding and ensure social distancing at grain markets to contain the spread of Covid-19.

Hindustan Times

20-04-2020

Chandigarh