Inclement weather in recent months caused the quantity of wheat produced in the district to fall by 12.5%.
"Against last year's 1,028,982 metric tonne (MT), this time around Sangrur produced 927,879 MT of wheat," district food and supply comptroller (DFSC) Munish Narula, told HT on Friday.
The district occupied the top slot for the highest yield per hectare in the country. But this year, incessant, untimely rain and hailstorms wreaked havoc and affected the crop. There is a loss of almost six to seven kg per hectare in the district, said a farmer Anmol from Upli village. "Even I faced a loss of six kg per hectare," he added.
Officiating chief agriculture officer, Sangrur, Varinder Singh, said: "Less yield means less arrival in the mandis. This year the wheat production is on a lower side in Ludhiana, Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Pathankot as compared to Mansa, Faridkot, Bathinda, Muktsar and Ferozpur."
Narula said 843,679 MT (91%) wheat in the mandis has been procured by different agencies. He further said payment to the tune of `1,233 crore has been made to the farmers.
Apart from the damage to wheat, vegetable growers of Malerkotla also faced losses due to the inclement weather. "The untimely rains destroyed half of my tomato crop," said Asim, a vegetable grower in Bhudan village.
{{/usCountry}}Apart from the damage to wheat, vegetable growers of Malerkotla also faced losses due to the inclement weather. "The untimely rains destroyed half of my tomato crop," said Asim, a vegetable grower in Bhudan village.
{{/usCountry}}The hailstorm in the recent months also destroyed the okra crop in the Sherwani Kot and surrounding villages.