Untimely showers cause maximum crop loss in Amritsar in Punjab

Amritsar district faced maximum crop loss in Punjab because of untimely rains and hailstorm, with state's overall crop yield getting affected by 5-7 per cent.
There was a crop loss to the extent of 20-25 per cent in Amritsar district which was highest among other affected districts in the state, as per survey conducted by the Punjab Agriculture department.
"There is an overall loss of 5 to 7 per cent to several crops, including wheat and vegetables in Punjab because of rains, hailstorm and strong winds," a senior official of Punjab Agriculture department said here today.
In Amritsar, as much as 10,000 hectares of area was adversely affected due to untimely rains and hailstorm.

"There is a damage to crops including wheat, fodder and vegetables, including tomatoes etc due to rains and hailstorm and its affect has been witnessed in several blocks," Chief Agriculture Officer (Amritsar) Dilbag Singh told PTI.
He said a Special Girdawari (revenue assessment) of villages, including Vallah, Kotli Mian Khan, Kotli Nasir Khan and Chhapa Ram Singh, has been recommended to assess the actual loss to farmers due to hailstorm.

Adverse climatic conditions caused 10 per cent crop damage in Gurdaspur, 5 per cent in Kapurthala, 5 per cent in Ludhiana, 3-5 per cent in Patiala, 10 per cent in Mansa, 7 per cent in Barnala and 5-7 per cent in Pathankot, as per survey.

The neighbouring state Haryana has also faced crop loss of 2-5 per cent due to inclement weather conditions, an official of state Agriculture Department said here.
Rains along with high velocity winds flattened wheat crop in Palwal and Yamunanagar districts, he said.
Unusual widespread rains accompanied by strong winds flattened wheat crop in both Punjab and Haryana which could have adverse impact on its overall yield.
Experts said unseasonal rains could delay in wheat crop harvesting and affect size of grains. Wheat harvesting starts normally at end of March or early part of April in Punjab and Haryana.
Punjab and Haryana, which are major foodgrain growing states, have 38 lakh hectares and 25 lakh hectares of area, respectively, under wheat in current rabi season.