Punjab: Paddy in peril, farmers face near-total crop loss
Of the 6.81 lakh hectares under aromatic paddy variety, nearly 2.65 lakh hectares (40%) is sown in Pathankot, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur, and Ferozepur districts.
Basmati growers in five flood-battered border districts of the state are staring at heavy losses as experts fear nearly 100% damage to the inundated crop.
Of the 6.81 lakh hectares under aromatic paddy variety, nearly 2.65 lakh hectares (40%) is sown in Pathankot, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur, and Ferozepur districts.
This year, the paddy was sown over 32.49 lakh hectares in the state. According to initial estimates, at least 1.38 lakh hectares of standing crop had been underwater for the last three weeks.
“In case the paddy crop remains completely submerged in water for more than 48 hours, there are very less chances of its revival,” said Buta Singh Dhillon, senior agronomist (rice) at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU).
The worst-affected districts are Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur, Fazilka, Ferozepur, Kapurthala, Moga, and Mansa. Most of the affected areas surround the three rivers— Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej, which are in spate and overflowing due to heavy rainfall in the catchment area in the hills in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. According to the officials in the state revenue department, the majority of the farmland has been submerged in 5 to 10 feet of water.
Former secretary, agriculture department, Kahan Singh Pannu, said that since the paddy crop in the flooded area has been completely submerged for a long time now and lack of oxygen, there is a likelihood of 100% damage.
“Because of deposition of silt in the field, it will be challenging for the farmer to prepare fields for the next crop, which currently has been flooded,” he said, adding that the government and society should come forward to enable farmers to grow the rabi crop.
“It’s for sure that the crop has suffered major damage. We are assessing actual loss to the crop, and the real picture will emerge once the water recedes,” said director agriculture Jaswant Singh, adding that by now the crop starts maturing and gets harvest-ready by the end of September.
This year, the procurement season for the crop is set to start on October 1.
However, the officials in the state food and civil supplies, and agriculture departments apprehend a delay in crop maturing and procurement this time.
“By now the premium varieties such as 1509 should have been on the maturing stage and would have been ready for harvest by mid-September,” said a basmati exporter, Ranjit Singh Jossan, who apprehends a considerable fall in the yield.
The delayed harvest, experts said, will leave a very short window for wheat sowing and may lead to a spike in stubble fire as farmers will race against time to get their fields ready.
“The scenario might lead to more burning of the paddy stubble,” the expert added, who didn’t wish to be named. A total of 190 lakh tonne of paddy stubble is produced along with the grain, out of which nearly 60-70% is subsumed in soil (in-situ management) and evacuated from the fields (ex-situ management), rest of the stubble is burnt.
