About 10-15 per cent of still-to-be harvested potato crop is feared to have been damaged because of unseasonal rains accompanied by strong winds lashing the northern region, Punjab potato growers today said.
Punjab is a major grower of seed potato crop and has almost five to seven per cent share in country's total potato production.
The state mainly grows varieties of Pukhraj, Jyoti, Kufri Chandramukhi, Kufri Bahar and Kufri Ashoka.
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"We expect there is about 10-15 per cent damage in the potato crop which is yet to be harvested caused by unseasonal rains," Confederation of Potato Seed Farmers, President Sukhjit Singh Bhatti told PTI.
According to potato growers, about 60 per cent of total area under tuber in Punjab is yet to be harvested where the crop damage could be maximum.
Punjab this season grew potato in an area of 85,000 hectares and expects an output of 22 lakh tonnes.
"Excessive rains this season at the harvesting stage have caused massive loss to the crop," said Bhatti.
Because of untimely rains, fields in potato growing belts in Punjab got flooded, causing extensive loss to the crop, a Jalandhar-based grower said.
Several areas of Punjab including Jalandhar and Kapurthala had received rainfall during the past two days.
Punjab Horticulture Director Gurkanwal Singh also apprehended loss to potato crop if water is not drained out from the fields. "There can be crop damage where the fields are still flooded with water," he said.
Rains causing damage to crop has come as another blow for growers as they are still fetching "lower" prices for their crop on account of bumper output in other major potato growing states.
Potato growers this season got Rs 4-5 per kg as against Rs 8-9 per kg realised last season.
"Potato prices are about 40 per cent lesser than what we got last season," Bhatti said.
Potato growers ascribed the decline in prices to bumper crop in key potato growing States including West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.
"Moreover, the area under potato crop grew this year by about 10-15 per cent which also led to lesser prices to growers," farmers said.
