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Dip in night temp delays wheat harvesting in Punjab
Wheat harvesting in Punjab is set to be delayed by 7-10 days due to the ongoing low night temperature, according to farm experts
BATHINDA : Wheat harvesting in Punjab is set to be delayed by 7-10 days due to the ongoing low night temperature, according to farm experts.
According to the agrometeorological centre of Punjab Agricultural University’s regional research centre in Bathinda, the maximum temperature since April 1 remained between 31 and 38 degrees Celsius while the average minimum temperature hovered around 16 degrees Celsius.
State agriculture director Jaswant Singh, who was in Bathinda on Wednesday to attend an inter-state consultative and monitoring committee for cotton, said the rain forecast over the weekend may further impact the full-scale harvest of wheat in various areas.
The initial market trend says that this time, wheat arrival was slow by 98% as compared to the corresponding period last year.
“India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted light to moderate rain from April 13-15 in different places across Punjab. Farmers are being alerted about the possible inclement weather conditions. Wheat is in the final stage of maturity and we are keeping our fingers crossed given the forecast of rain and thunderstorms in the next few days,” he said.
Wheat was sown on about 35 lakh hectares in Punjab and the department is expecting bumper crop this year, the agriculture director said.
Officials said normally the wheat harvesting picks up pace by April 10 but this time, it is going on at a much slower pace.
“This year, nights are cooler than the average while the maximum temperature during days in quite high. This temperature change has impacted crop ripening that is delaying harvesting,” said agriculture director.
In the last rabi season, Punjab had produced about 161 lakh tonnes of wheat and experts are pinning hope to surpass last year’s yield.
According to the Punjab Mandi Board data, only 1,528 tonnes of wheat has arrived in mandis across the state since April 1, when the procurement process started in the state.
Last season, Punjab recorded arrival of 81,519 tonnes of wheat till April 10.
Total arrival on Wednesday in all mandis was 1,105 tonnes whereas the single-day arrival on April 10 last year was 60,456 tonnes.
Of the 23 districts, 14 have not witnessed any wheat arrival to date, say officials.
Complete cotton sowing by May 15: Experts
The state agriculture experts have advised farmers to complete the sowing of cotton by May 15 to avoid pest attack possibilities.
Farm scientists and agriculture officials from Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana, who held a meeting in Bathinda today ahead of the cotton sowing period, said surveillance by the field teams was satisfactory for the next kharif season.
The meeting was convened by the vice chancellor of the Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana, Prof Satbir Singh Gosal.
Punjab agriculture director Jaswant Singh said the department has set a target of 2 lakh hectares for cotton cultivation for the 2024-25 kharif season. He said canal-based irrigation will be provided from April 15.
