Farmers Movement Archive

Rain, hailstorm damage paddy crop across Punjab, girdawari ordered

Paddy harvesting in parts of Malwa, Majha and Doaba regions of the state is set to get delayed as heavy rain coupled with high-velocity winds and hail flattened the crop and drenched the harvest. The untimely rain that started on Saturday evening continued intermittently till Sunday afternoon, flooding fields and grain markets.According to the government figures, nearly 70 lakh tonne paddy has reached the grain markets, which is roughly one-third of the total yield expected this season. Last year, the 210 lakh tonne of paddy was procured in the state. Paddy, including basmati varieties, is sown on nearly 31 lakh hectares of land in the state this year.Guru Har Sahai block in Ferozepur district, and parts of Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran and Amritsar districts were the worst hit. The rain also drenched tones of paddy lying in mandis across the state.The state agriculture department has already sought a report about the damage from districts. Punjab agriculture director Sukhdev Singh Sidhu said teams have already been rushed to assess the damage to standing crops and the stock. “As per the reports received so far, there is serious damage to the standing crop, while harvesting in parts of Punjab is surely going to be delayed,” Sidhu said.Agriculture experts say unfavourable weather conditions will adversely affect the production in addition to making the grain vulnerable to shrivelling, blackening and discolouration. In Amritsar, the agriculture officials reported 30% loss to the standing crop. In Rupnagar, 10% of the standing crop has been flattened. Major Singh, a farmer from Ghamrouda village in Patiala district, said the farmers stare at huge financial losses. “The government should provide adequate compensation and immediate financial relief to the affected farmers,” he said. Tarn Taran district, pea and potato crops were also severely hit. Bathinda chief agriculture officer Manjit Singh said the district witnessed 10.5mm rain and preliminary inputs do not hint at much loss to the crop in Bathinda and Mansa districts. “Paddy harvesting that was picking up the pace will slow down again. The harvesting may resume in most parts of the district after a week,” he said. As per the official figures, Jalandhar witnessed 32.6 mm rain, while Nakodar and Phillaur saw 18mm.State agriculture department joint director Gurvinder Singh said barring Ferozepur, the loss to crop in southern Punjab was not substantial. “However, rain at this point of time is not good for paddy and cotton,” he added.Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC)’s state general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said, “We want ₹50-60,000 per acre compensation from the state government. We will launch widespread protests if the compensation is not announced soon.”Baldev Singh of Shahkot said his paddy crop was flattened due to rain and gusty winds. “Now it can be harvested only manually,” he said. Kulwinder Singh of Nakodar said untimely rain can add to the moisture content, besides discolouring of the grain.Jalandhar agriculture department officer Naresh Gulati said nearly 45% of the paddy is yet to be harvested in the district. “Sunny weather for the next three-four days can bring down the losses,” he said.‘Farmers will be compensated’ Punjab deputy chief minister and home minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa took stock of the situation in Dera Baba Nanak town of Gurdaspur district and announced a special girdawari to assess the losses across the state. “I have asked the officials to complete the girdawari in a week’s time so that the farmers can get the compensation at the earliest. I also want to appeal to the officials to be honest while assessing the damage,” he said during his visit and interaction with farmers. Deputy chief minister OP Soni, during an event at a Amritsar village, assured adequate compensation to the farmers. “The rain has damaged the paddy crop in Majha region. Fair compensation will be given after the girdawari.”

Hindustan Times

25-10-2021

Chandigarh