Rain flattens paddy crop, soaks stocks in Doaba mandis

An agricultural expert said lodging could affect crop quality in two ways. It could disrupt the supply of nutrients from the roots to the grains while fallen plants could also suffer quality deterioration.

Kulwinder Singh Machiana, a farmer from Jalandhar East block, said farmers are facing a double blow due to lodging. “Harvesting lodged crops will be an uphill task and require more labour. Besides, the grains may change colour and turn black, prompting commission agents (arhtiyas) and rice millers to offer lower prices,” he said.

With moisture levels in the air likely to delay drying, farmers are also concerned about meeting procurement norms.

Salwinder Singh, another farmer in Jalandhar, said it would be difficult for the produce to meet the Centre’s prescribed moisture limit of 17 per cent for procurement. He urged the government to relax the limit to 22 per cent.

Chief Agricultural Officer Randhir Thakur said the unseasonal rain is unfavourable for crops. He acknowledged that lodging had been reported in some areas in Jalandhar but no crop loss had been reported so far. The rain would delay harvesting, he said, adding that prolonged rainfall could lead to discolouration, although no such cases had been reported yet.

The rain has also disrupted the movement of procured paddy. Harsharanjit Singh Brar, District Food and Civil Supplies Controller, Jalandhar, said the lifting of procured paddy had been halted due to Sunday’s showers.

The India Meteorological Department had issued a red alert for Jalandhar on October 11 along warning of thunderstorms in some parts of the district.

Meanwhile, farmer organisations demanded compensation for losses caused by the adverse weather. All-India Kisan Maha Sabha national president Dr Satnam Singh Ajnala and Jamhoori Kisan Sabha Punjab state general secretary Kulwant Singh Sandhu demanded 100 per cent compensation for farmers affected by rain and hailstorms across Punjab.

The leaders said the adverse weather had damaged standing paddy crops, increasing harvesting costs and reducing yields. They also pointed out that paddy lying in grain markets had become wet and would take longer to dry due to increased moisture in the air.

They demanded that paddy be procured at a moisture content of up to 22 per cent and that compensation be released immediately.

In a statement, Jamhoori Kisan Sabha Punjab state press secretary Harnek Singh Gujjarwal urged the government to introduce a crop insurance scheme by treating each field as a unit to ensure compensation for losses caused by natural disasters.