Raghbir Singh Brar
Faridkot
The Punjab state agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian on Thursday has said that according to the assessment made by the state agriculture department, about 1.30 lakh acres of crops,including the wheat and vegetables have been devastated by the downpour,heavy rains accompanied by hail storms across the state.
But most of the areas affected falls in district Muktsar,Bathinda, Mansa and Moga etc.
“According to the preliminary assessment by the state agriculture department, about 1.30 lakh acres of crops have been damaged incling the wheat crop and others in districts Fazilka,Ferozepur,Muktsar,Bathinda,Moga and Amritsar.This is the preliminary assessment and damaged area may go up,” said Gurmeet Singh Khudian, agriculture minister Punjab in a letter written to the union minister of agriculture Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
He said that wheat crop alone had been sown on about 35 lakh acres in Punjab but due to the untimely rainfall and hailstorms,the yield of the expected bumper crop is likely to come down.
He further added that the state government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has already ordered a revenue assessment to the damaged crop.
“You are requested to send a high level team by the centre to assess the damage of the crops and grant suitable compensation to the farmers,” said Kudian.
It is pertinent to mention that at many places, there is allegedly 100 per cent loss to the wheat crop apart from the other crops including the vegetables.
This is the second seasonal loss after sharp decline in the paddy yield due to inclement weather and loss of paddy crop by floods and now wheat crop has been badly affected,first by the unbearable high temperatures in February and then a back to back showers,hailstorms.
The state government is facing a tough time as the farming community is the main support base for any government in the state.
The assembly elections are approaching February 2027.If the farmers are not duly compensated, it may turn to an antiincubbancy factor against the AAP government.
The complete loss of a crop is a huge set back to the farmers which pushes them to many years back, as its recovery is not as easy.
The farmers unions and SAD are demanding Rs 50000 compensation for the loss of crop per acre.
Usually, when the responsibility comes to compensate the farmers for the loss of the crops,the union and state government start a blame game.
In this way too, the Punjab agriculture minister has thrown the ball into the court of the centre government.
If there is any problem, the state would claim that it had duly informed the centre and demanded the suitable compensation,but centre, due to the rival government in the state,is in denial mode.