Wheat sowing a week away, Punjab sees only 22% paddy harvesting

Punjab, which has astir 1,852 atom markets and typically converts respective atom shellers into impermanent mandi yards, is facing superior issues with harvest question this year. Only 10.55 per cent of the procured paddy has been lifted from mandis, leaving galore afloat to the brim. The concern is peculiarly dire successful regions wherever farmers person nary abstraction to unload their crops.

Deepinder Singh, a husbandman from Hazara colony successful Jalandhar, who has astir 50 acres nether paddy, said that the harvest is lasting acceptable successful the fields, but determination is nary spot successful the mandis. “Last year, by this time, I had harvested astir 90 per cent of my crop, but this twelvemonth not adjacent 50 per cent of my fields are harvested. I americium disquieted that this hold volition impact my wheat crop,” helium said, adding that the perfect clip for wheat sowing is betwixt November 1 and November 15.

Director of the Punjab Agriculture Department Jaswant Singh confirmed that astir 22 per cent of paddy has been harvested truthful acold and it is importantly little than past year’s progress. “The gait of harvesting is rather dilatory this time,” helium added.

Sources successful the Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Department attributed the dilatory lifting of the harvest to the deficiency of practice from atom shellers, who person raised respective demands with the government. “It’s hard to determination the procured atom retired of mandis without the practice from atom shellers. Over 5,000 shellers store the full authorities procured paddy successful the state, and the atom utilized to spell to authorities godown aft milling. But this year, the shellers person immoderate demands, and the authorities has not responded to them, which is starring to this bottleneck,” said an authoritative from the department.

Farmer person Jagmohan Singh, wide Secretary of BKU (Dakaunda), said that arsenic the concern drags on, farmers are increasing progressively anxious astir the hold arsenic this would impact timely sowing of wheat. “We are urging the authorities to resoluteness the ongoing issues with atom shellers and debar further disruption to the cultivation rhythm oregon other the authorities volition beryllium liable for the superior instrumentality and bid contented successful the state. “The hold successful harvesting and question of the harvest could besides person broader economical implications for Punjab, which relies heavy connected its cultivation output. If the concern is not resolved soon, it whitethorn pb to further costs for some farmers and the authorities authorities successful managing the glut of paddy successful the markets,” helium said.

According to the records of Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs Department, Punjab, by October 23, 2023, astir 49 lakh tonne of paddy had arrived successful the mandis. However, this twelvemonth till October 23, lone 41 lakh tonne person reached mandis, marking a shortfall of astir 9 lakh tonne compared to past year. Punjab is expecting 185 lakh tonne paddy accomplishment successful mandis this year.

In Tarn Taran district, 5.50 lakh tonne of paddy arrived by October 23 past year, whereas this year, lone 3.40 lakh tonnes person reached the mandis successful the aforesaid time. Similarly, successful Sangrur, lone 1.46 lakh tonne of paddy person been brought to the mandis till October 23, compared to implicit 2.50 lakh tonne during the aforesaid play past year. In Gurdaspur, the accomplishment has besides seen a important drop, with 50% little paddy arriving this twelvemonth than last.

This diminution successful arrivals is being attributed to slower paddy harvesting, chiefly owed to the monolithic glut successful the mandis, which has led to farmers stalling oregon delaying their harvests, said a elder serviceman successful the Punjab Agriculture department.