Daylong rain hits paddy ready for harvest in Punjab

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 24

The incessant rain on Sunday has reportedly damaged the standing paddy crop in large parts of Majha and some parts of the Malwa region.

Tardy lifting, now rain: HP farmers

Dharamsala: Amid tardy lifting, untimely rains have damaged produce lying in mandis. It is for the first time that paddy is being procured in Kangra border areas. Earlier, farmers would sell their crop in Punjab.

Paddy bags in Haryana mandis soaked

Karnal: Rain and winds flattened the paddy crop in the fields in Karnal, Panipat and Sonepat. President of Karnal Arhtiyas Assn said paddy bags lying in the open in various mandis may have been damaged.

According to the information gathered by the state Agriculture Department, paddy crop was damaged in many parts of Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran and Pathankot districts. In Patiala, Ropar and Sangrur, where hailstorms were reported in some areas, the harvesting will have to be delayed by two to five days as the moisture level has risen.

The Deputy Commissioner of Gurdaspur has ordered a girdawari to assess the crop damage in the area.

Director, Agriculture, Sukhdev Singh said the report of crop damage was being sent to the department by the field staff. Special girdawaris could be ordered in areas where the damage was more, he added. Farm unions have demanded damage assessment by the revenue department.