For nearly a decade, farmer Bhupinder Singh has often looked at the sky to thank god for his bumper wheat crop. This year is different. In the past one month, unseasonal rains and hailstorms have left Singh a worried man. Nearly 30 percent of his wheat crop spread over seven acres has been flattened.
And for the crop which is still standing, Singh has a lot to worry about.
The moisture content in the grains is going to be much higher than the prescribed limits for government procurement and may not fetch him a good price.
“I and other farmers are not even sure if the government agencies will buy our wheat. We are ruined. Many farmers do not have enough money to sow the next crop,” Singh, whose agricultural fields are near Samundra village between Balachaur and Garhshankar towns in Punjab, told IANS as he showed the damaged crop.
The sad part for the farming community is that the untimely rain has occurred just a month before harvesting the wheat crop. Grain markets in Punjab and Haryana, which contribute over 50 percent of foodgrains to the national kitty, get the bulk of the harvested wheat crop after the harvest festival of Baisakhi (April 13).
And for the crop which is still standing, Singh has a lot to worry about.
The moisture content in the grains is going to be much higher than the prescribed limits for government procurement and may not fetch him a good price.
“I and other farmers are not even sure if the government agencies will buy our wheat. We are ruined. Many farmers do not have enough money to sow the next crop,” Singh, whose agricultural fields are near Samundra village between Balachaur and Garhshankar towns in Punjab, told IANS as he showed the damaged crop.
The sad part for the farming community is that the untimely rain has occurred just a month before harvesting the wheat crop. Grain markets in Punjab and Haryana, which contribute over 50 percent of foodgrains to the national kitty, get the bulk of the harvested wheat crop after the harvest festival of Baisakhi (April 13).