India: Rain, hailstorm flatten 40% wheat crop in Punjab

“In case the crop doesn’t recover, there would be around 15% yield loss,” said Gurvinder Singh, director of the state’s agriculture department. Fazilka, Sangrur, Bathinda, Barnala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur districts may have suffered considerable damages, according to preliminary reports. At a number of places, the crop is still submerged in rainwater, which would cause discolouration in the grain, he said.

Chief minister Bhagwant Mann has ordered a girdawari (field inspection) to access the impact on the crop that is almost ready to be harvested. A report is expected within a week.

Winter wheat has been cultivated on over 34.9 lakh hectares in the breadbasket state, and the agriculture department had predicted a bumper crop with the yield expected to touch 180-185 lakh tonnes, before the unseasonal rainfall last week upset projections. “It seems the hope of a bumper crop is dashed,” an officer of the agriculture department said, declining to be named.

This is the second straight season when the wheat crop has been impacted. Last year, the crop suffered a yield loss of 13%. As against an expected yield of 175 lakh tonnes, only 150 lakh tonnes were produced in the state. Untimely rains in March led heavy crop damage.

This year, an average of 40mm of rainfall was reported in the past month, with high winds of 40-50 km per hour, which have caused severe damage. There is a western disturbance approaching the state, which is expected to bring rainfall and high winds on March 29 for 3-4 days, according to Manmohan Singh, a senior officer in the meteorology department.

“It would be very problematic for the state’s farmers,” the agriculture department officer said.

The state agriculture department is trying to expedite the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) to insurance the crop, which is suffering vagaries of the weather more often in recent times. “In February, the department has sent a detailed proposal to the state government,” the official said.

The state government is gearing to implement PMFBY from the upcoming kharif season during which paddy is cultivated, chief secretary VK Janjua said. Deputy commissioners in all districts has been asked to compile the girdawari report in a week’s time, he added.

The compensation given to farmers from the natural calamites fund is not beneficial to them as the formula is lopsided, said Balbir Singh Rajewal, president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Rajewal), a farmers’ collective. “There is no provision for compensation for loss up to 25% and government accepting a loss of 15% has no meaning,” he said.

When the mature crop remains submerged, it leads to a discolouration of the grain, which fetches a lower price. “Who would compensate the farmers for grain quality loss?” Rajewal asked.

The state government is aware of these issues and would find a way, Janjua said. “The chief minister has already announced to increase the compensation,” he said.

Baghail Singh of Khokh village near Nabha said his crop has damaged beyond repair. “Hopefully, sunlight in the coming week will help in recovery. Over the past few years, crops have been facing damage due to vagaries of the weather, leading to losses to the farmers.”

Tags: wheat, crop, yield, Punjab, heavy rainfall, harvest