Flood-hit Sirsa paddy farmers stare at crisis

Sirsa MP Kumari Selja has expressed concern over the heavy damage to paddy crops in state following recent floods and excessive rainfall. She said farmers are battling poor yields, falling prices and unresponsive insurance companies, and urged the state government to announce a special relief package.

“The quality of this year’s paddy crop has been badly affected. The grains are smaller, many have turned black, and overall yield has dropped drastically compared to last year. Farmers are not even sure if they will recover their production costs, particularly with the market prices of varieties like Pusa basmati 1509 also falling,” Selja told mediapersons. She said paddy farming is concentrated in districts such as Karnal, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Ambala, Yamunanagar, Panipat, Sirsa and Sonepat, with Karnal, Kurukshetra, Kaithal and Jind forming the ‘rice bowl’ of Haryana. Karnal, in particular, is renowned for its premium basmati.

According to Selja, in many regions fields remained waterlogged for long stretches, aggravating crop losses. “Yields that used to be around 30 quintals per acre have now fallen to 20-25 quintals, and in some areas even as low as 15 quintals,” she pointed out.