Flooded paddy fields in Punjab, Haryana to depress crop yields
New Delhi: Paddy farmers in Punjab and Haryana are in distress as 60% of their cultivated land is under water after the extremely heavy rainfall between 7 July and 10 July. This may hit yields significantly resulting in lower crop production if the paddy fields are not affected further. Punjab and Haryana have witnessed rainfall in large excess of 96% and 91% above the long period average (LPA), respectively during 1 June to 12 July.
Heavy rainfall in these states has reportedly led to submergence of standing paddy crop in districts of Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur and Fatehgarh in Punjab and in Ambala, Kurukshetra and Yamunanagar districts of Haryana. About 250,000 hectares of paddy fields in 14 districts of Punjab and 150,000 hectares in seven districts of Haryana are submerged in water, according to people associated with local farm associations. These two states together contribute about 20% to India’s rice production.
Because of the rain deluge in the second week of July and overflow of water from Sutlej, Ravi and Beas that are tributaries of the Indus River in Himachal Pradesh and flow through east Punjab have affected adjoining districts of Punjab, including Jalandhar and Firozpur. About 3.2 million hectares area are under paddy cultivation in Punjab. “Paddy cannot be resown in 50% of the total 60% affected fields.
The current damage indicates at least 30% less crop in the coming kharif marketing season. If it downpours further, crop loss could be more," said Jagmohan Singh Uppal, general secretary of Bhartiya Kishan Union of Dakonda. “The consumption of fertilisers and pesticides will increase to save crops during such weather conditions, which is not feasible for all farmers." Meanwhile, India Meteorological
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