Rain to delay wheat sowing, say experts

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, November 16

Fresh rain is set to delay the sowing of wheat by a month in the region, say farmers and agriculture experts. They said those farmers who had sown wheat crop a few days ago would also have to use seed drill again in the fields to break the crust.

Further, those farmers who have not yet managed paddy residue would have to wait for some days as neither they can use baler machine, nor burn it.

“The rain at this time of the season is harmful. It will delay the sowing of wheat and also affect the crop sown three or four days ago and increase the input costs of farmers,” said Ranjit Singh, a farmer of Gurusar village.

Similarly, Bhupinder Singh, another farmer, said the wheat seed requires a particular moisture level for sowing and it would now take some days to attain that level. “Particularly, those who had irrigated their land and prepared for wheat sowing will have to wait for a few days. The situation will turn better only if the sunlight appears,” said Bhupinder.

Similarly, some basmati growers said they were the hit hard due to the rain. “The rain will discolour the basmati and as a result we will get lesser price. The yield and prices are already down. Further, it is a tough task to stock basmati during humid days,” they said.

When asked, Gurpreet Singh, Agriculture Officer, Muktsar, said, “The wheat sowing season is set to get delayed by a month now, which may even affect the yield. Further, there are chances of more weeds to grow with the wheat crop this season because the wheat sowing requires a particular weather and moisture level. The basmati and cotton growers too will suffer losses.”

Baljinder Singh Brar, Chief Agriculture Officer, Muktsar, was however not available for comment.