Chandigarh, 10 April, 2012 - Light to moderate rain lashed most parts of Punjab today, delaying harvesting and damaging the wheat stock lying in the open in grain markets.
Showers accompanied by heavy-velocity winds, had agriculture officials as well as farmers worried. Farmers said the rain had flattened their crop. Meanwhile, procurement agencies have made it clear that they would buy wheat only with minimum moisture content.
The rain, accompanied with squall, was the result of western disturbances, the Met Office said. Amritsar had 18 mm of rainfall, Patiala 14.5 mm, Chandigarh 5 mm and Ludhiana 3.4 mm.
Amritsar: Rain and high-velocity winds on Tuesday night did negligible damage to the wheat crop in Amritsar district. Dr Balwinder Singh Sohal, Chief Agriculture Officer, said: “At this stage, the standing crop requires some amount of water. The rainfall, recorded in the district between 4 mm and 10 mm, did little damage.”. Development Officer Gurdeep Singh said a prolonged winter spell had delayed harvesting in the region and moderate rainfall would be a blessing for farmers.
“Harvesting has been delayed till April 20. Mature earheads, that turn golden by this time of the year, are still green. The wheat crop demands water at this stage ”, he said. Baba Bakala received 4.5 mm of rainfall, Jandiala 4 mm and Ajnala 10 mm.
Ludhiana: Agro-meteorologists at Punjab Agricultural University, say incessant rain could delay harvesting and affect grain quality. Dr KK Gill said: "The rainfall was minimal (4.6 mm) yesterday, but if it continues to rain for some more days, it will affect the grain." Dr Navtej Singh Bains, a wheat expert, said: “Rain when the crop has ripened can spoil the grain sheen. In case of immature crop, rain is safe if winds do not damage the plants".
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