9% dip in paddy yield in Moga

Kulwinder Sandhu

Tribune News Service

Moga, November 15

The production of paddy has declined by 9 per cent in Moga district as compared to the last year, owing to variations in climatic conditions and air pollution.

As per the figures available from the Punjab State Agricultural Marketing Board, the paddy production was 13,32,125 MT in 2018, while its arrival in the grain markets of the district till November 14, 2019, was 12,12,689 MT. The fresh arrival of paddy is now negligible, said Vazir Singh district secretary of the board.

Thus, going by the calculations, the production of paddy has declined by about 9 per cent.

Plant Protection Officer of Moga Jaswinder Singh Brar said the decline in production could be attributed to decrease in the yield of foodgrain by about 10 quintals per hectare, owing to variations in the climatic conditions and air pollution in September and October this year.

He said the area under paddy cultivation had not changed in the past couple of years. It was 1.77 lakh hectares. Therefore, the main reason for decrease in production is decline in the crop yield. The area under basmati cultivation in Moga district is just 5,000 hectares, he added.

Brar said under normal conditions with a good monsoon during the current year, the average yield was expected at 85 quintals per hectare but it had decreased to an average of 75 quintals per hectare.

He said the sudden rise in temperature, intermittent rains followed by winds and air pollution caused by the burning of paddy stubble in Amritsar, Tarn Taran districts and nearby Pakistan’s Punjab province during the early stage of harvesting had affected the yield.

The pollination process was affected due to intermittent rains and winds. The sudden rise in temperature affected the quality of grains. The high temperature has also induced grain sterility. The development of smog due to air pollution reduced the sunlight access on earth’s surface, adversely affecting the process of photosynthesis-growth of plants. The nutrition development in the paddy plants decreased, thus affecting the nourishment of grains, he added.

The size of paddy grains had also shrunk a little affecting the yield of the crop. It has also affected the grain quality, which could also lead to discolouration of the grains.