175 LMT paddy target may be tough as yield drops 6 qtl/acre

The yield of paddy this year has dropped by 5 to 6 quintals per acre due to the floods and incessant rains that hit Punjab from August-end to early September.

Information available with The Tribune from farmers and commission agents in different parts of the state shows that as against a yield of 27-32 quintals per acre, the yield this year in some districts has gone down to 23-25 quintals per acre. As of Sunday evening, only 21.05 lakh metric tonnes of paddy had arrived in the mandis, raising concerns as it’s been almost a month into the paddy procurement season.

This year, the government is targeting to purchase 175 LMT of paddy in Punjab. But if the low yield trend appears in all districts, the government may find it difficult to meet the paddy procurement target. Kuldeep Singh, a paddy grower from Ikolaha village near Khanna, who had brought his produce for sale in the largest grain market of Asia at Khanna today, told The Tribune that as against a yield of 31 quintal per acre last year, the yield this year is just 25 quintals.

Harbans Singh Rosha, a commission agent in Khanna, said this fall in yield, which seemed across the state, means less money in circulation in the agrarian state, which could increase rural indebtedness.

In Ropar, officials responsible for paddy procurement have said that the fall in yield is much higher, with farmers getting just 20 quintals per acre. In Kiratpur Sahib, arrivals are down by 30 per cent. An official said farmers were waiting for the paddy to dry further before they could bring it to the mandis. An officer of the Agriculture Department, posted in the worst flood-hit Majha region, said they expected the yield loss to be around 5 per cent due to the silt deposition in fields.

Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian told The Tribune that the yield had dropped in certain places because of rains. “But these are only initial reports when the paddy arrivals have not picked up. We are sure that the average yield will not be much affected after paddy arrivals pick up,” he said.

Central teams to visit mandis, says minister

Mohali: Food & Civil Supplies Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak on Monday said central teams would soon visit Punjab mandis to assess the impact of recent rains on paddy grains. The state government has already flagged the issue with the Centre, he said. Kataruchak said Rs 3,215 crore had also been released to farmers against the procured paddy. — TNS