The wheat yield in Punjab has been satisfactory despite unseasonal rain and hailstorm, farmers and officials familiar with the matter said on Friday.
Barring some areas which were hit by hailstorm, the yield reported is between 21 to 25 quintals per acre. 10% crop area of the total 3.49 million hectares (8.55 million acres) has been harvested so far and harvest is expected to pick up in the upcoming week.
And according to the preliminary investigations by the state agriculture department the average yield even in those areas affected by rain and hail will be around 20-22 quintals per ac/re which is fairly normal.
Rain and hail in March had raised the spectre of lower yields from crop affected by the weather, much like they were by the unseasonal head last year. Last year, wheat production was 14.8million tonnes, lower than the estimated 17 million. A good harvest is essential for the government to replenish its stock, and to cool inflation. From that perspective, experts said, the news emerging from Punjab is good.
Jatinder Singh Sandhu, a farmer from village Behru in Patiala, said the crop yield on his farm is 22.5 to 26 quintals. He grew wheat over 35 acres and his entire crop was hit by rain, but while there is some proportion of discoloured grain , he has received Rs. 2,125 per quintal , the minimum support price fixed by the Centre’s commission for agricultural costs and prices.
“I have relatives in villages Patran and Harditpura and the yield per acre is almost same — more than 20 quintals per acre. But a relative’s farm in Budhladha has seen 20% lower yield because of hailstorm,” he said. Nek Singh Khokh a farmer from a village Nabha agreed that the yield this year is almost as good as last year.
“We are very positive about the overall production and a clear picture will be available by Monday (April 17), by which time results of 2,000 crop cutting experiments reaches us,” said director, agriculture Gurvinder Singh, adding that as on Friday 10% of the state’s wheat crop has been harvested. Harvesting is expected to peak next week.
Ravi Sher Singh a farmer from Muchhal village in Jandiala, Amritsar said his family started the harvest on Thursday and that the yield so far is 23 -25 quintal. “Harvest combines have started running on our farm and the actual picture will be clear when the entire crop is cut.”
According to Punjab agricultural university Vice-Chancellor SS Gosal yields are far better than the rain and hail would have suggested. “Because of ideal conditions for the crop to grow it developed strength, and majority of it resisted the vagaries of the weather,” he said, adding a caveat that the actual picture would emerge once much of the harvesting is complete.
The agricultural university has 17 krishi vigyaan kendras (KVKs) across the state and Gosal said as of now the reports emerging from KVKs are positive.
The Punjab agriculture department said that even a conservative estimate would suggest that production in the state could be 16 million tonnes wheat grain against the earlier estimates of 17.2 million tonnes. In the last rabi season total wheat production of 14.8 million tonnes was reported and nearly 10 million tonnes were procured.
So far 1.34 million tonnes of wheat has arrived in the state mandis, with 436,000 tonnes of it arriving on Friday. A total of 2,450 mandis have been set for wheat procurement.
The state’s department of food and civil supplies expects total arrivals of 12 million tonnes, an increase of 20% from the last season.
