Rain, strong wind damage wheat crop in Majha region

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, march 17

Heavy rain accompanied by high-velocity winds damaged wheat crop in many villages of the districts of Amritsar and Tarn Taran on Thursday night. The wheat crop, which is nearing maturity, is already affected due to the unusual rise in the temperatures during the last month. The flattening of crop may affect the yield. The grain quality would also suffer with the flattening of the crop.

Agricultural experts claim that rain cannot cause much damage to the wheat crop, but the wind can cause incurable damage to the crop at this stage. Today, most of the loss was suffered by those farmers who had irrigated the crops during the last one or two days. However, last week when the temperature was high, Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) had issued a guideline in which experts had suggested the farmers to irrigate their wheat crop.

Sandeep Singh, Agriculture Development Officer (ADO), said, “The wheat crop was in earring stage and most of the farmers had irrigated the fields. The high-velocity winds and rain resulted in the flattening of the wheat crop. The damage has been reported from almost all parts of the district on a very large scale.”

The early-sown wheat varieties faced more damage than the low height crops. The rain also flattened the hopes of the farmers. Owing to unusual high temperature at this time of year, it was being observed that the yield of wheat crop would suffer, but the rain and wind caused much more damage to the crops.

Tejindepal Singh, a farmer from Raspulpur village, said the plants were heavy from the top and wind uprooted the plants in some isolated parts of fields. The yield of the crop would suffer greatly. There would be luster loss of mature crops. The Mand area alongside of the Beas and the border area were worst-affected.”

Dalbir Singh, a farmer of Chohla Sahib area, said the flattening of the crop was reported from various villages like Dhunn Dhai Wala, Kambo, Jaohal Dhai Wala, Gharka, Chamba, Karmunwala and Mundapind.

Sukhjinder Singh, farmer and former sarpanch of Rattoke village, said the wheat crop in Rattoke, Darajke, Gazal, Machhike, Dasuwal, Bhura, Maddar, Mathra and Khemkaran villages too was badly damaged.

Activists of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Punjab, organised a meeting at Thathia Mahantan village and demanded compensation from the government for the crop loss.

“The government should announce the compensation and conduct a survey of the damaged crop. We urge Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to intervene in the matter so that farmers could heave a sigh of relief,” said Sarwan Singh Pandher, general secretary of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee.