Punjab: Rain bigger concern for cotton growers in Malwa

Farm experts say inclement weather likely to cause more damage to cotton crop, where second picking in sizeable area is underway

Rain accompanied with high-velocity wind lashed most parts of southwest Punjab on Monday morning, raising concerns of delayed harvesting and procurement of kharif crops.

A worker covering sacks of paddy at the Bathinda grain market after rain accompanied with high-velocity wind lashed the region on Monday. Experts said inclement weather was likely to cause more damage to the cotton crop, where the second picking is on. (Sanjeev Kumar/HT)

Harvesting of ‘parmal’ rice in most of the seven districts of the region has yet to gain momentum. Rice growers said while harvesting of basmati fields has yet to begin, the rain would impact paddy procurement as lifting was already at a slow pace due to the ongoing strike by rice-millers.

Farm experts said the inclement weather was likely to cause more damage to the cotton crop, where the second picking in a sizeable area is underway.

At a few places in the region, where paddy had arrived in grain markets, workers struggled to cover the crop to avoid it from getting soaked in the rain.

Muktsar chief agriculture officer Gurpreet Singh said PR (parmal) varieties were sown on 1.07 lakh hectares, while acreage of basmati was 90,000 hectares in the district. “10% of the area under paddy has been harvested so far. Farmers are yet to start harvesting basmati. An exercise to assess the impact is being carried out. If fields get sunshine for a few days, mechanised harvesting may minimise losses,” he said.

An agriculture official in Bathinda said that of the 2.12 lakh hectares under PR varieties in the district, harvest is still in its initial stage. “There is more rain forecast this week and this it may delay paddy harvest. Any major damage to the PR or basmati is unlikely but the real concern is cotton as the weather conditions are not conducive for the cash crop,” he said.

A cotton grower from Abohar, Arvind Setia, said the second picking of cotton bolls was at the initial stage and the rains have dashed hopes of a good yield. “Rains will hit the quality of bolls and the traders will pay less for low-quality cotton. Showers at this juncture have hit cotton growers worse,” said Setia.

However, kinnow growers in Fazilka and Muktsar districts are elated as the rains will improve the quality of fruits.