Punjab: Untimely Rains Damage Crops Across 1.3 Lakh Acres, Says Min

Punjab's Agriculture Minister reports over 1.3 lakh acres of crops damaged by untimely rain, urging the Centre for a special package. Assessment teams are deployed, while farmers in Haryana also face severe losses and demand compensation.

Punjab Agricultural Minister Gurmeet Khudia on Thursday stated that untimely and excessive rainfall has severely impacted crops across more than 1.3 lakh acres in the state and called on the Central Government to provide urgent assistance.

Speaking to ANI, Khudia said, "The untimely and excessive rainfall has had a severe impact on Punjab's agriculture, damaging crops across more than 130,000 acres."

"For many days now, the weather has been very bad, just as the crops were about to reach maturity. Farmers toil for six months, hoping for a good harvest, but untimely rain and hailstorms have caused huge losses across Punjab," Khudia said, addressing the crisis.

Minister Calls for Special Package

The minister added that under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the state government has launched special relief measures and deployed assessment teams of 500 officials to evaluate the extent of damage. "We have also urged the central government to provide substantial help, reminding them of Punjab's historic contribution to national food security and development," Khudia said.

Highlighting Punjab's role in the Green Revolution, Khudia emphasised, "Punjabis have contributed more than 40% to the country's grain supply. From independence to today, Punjabis have enhanced the nation's pride in every field. Despite earlier promises of aid, today, when our farmers face such a crisis, the state remains neglected. That is why we are calling for a special package. The country should come forward to support us. A special package is urgently needed."

Regarding compensation, Khudia noted that the Punjab government, along with the Chief Minister, will estimate the total losses and submit a detailed proposal to the Centre for relief measures.

Damage Extends to Haryana

The unseasonal rain accompanied by hail has flattened and severely damaged the wheat crop in Haryana's Jhajjar district, affecting several farmers in the area.

Speaking to ANI, a local farmer said that the unseasonal rain and hail had destroyed his wheat fields, leaving him and other cultivators in the village in a state of distress. "The crop has been entirely damaged. We demand compensation from the government... Conditions are worse in the entire village; everything has been destroyed," he said.

Another farmer highlighted that while a small portion of the crop, around 10-20 per cent, might have survived, the damage to the majority of his fields would create significant challenges for selling and marketing the remaining produce "My almost entire crop has been damaged, apart from the 10-20% that might be left... There will be a lot of problems in the sale of this crop. We demand from the government that a timely survey of this damage is carried out and appropriate compensation is given on time," he added. (ANI)

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