FREQUENT SPELLS OF
RAIN WILL BE BENEFICIAL IN THE END FOR THE RIPENING OF KHARIF CROP.
The frequent spells
of rain in parts of Punjab will be beneficial for ripening of kharif
crops, say experts, hopeful of a bumper kharif crop this season.
Surinder Pal,
director, Punjab meteorological department, said, “Last year, the
quantity of downpour was more and hence a flood-like situation was
faced. But this time there is an even distribution of rainfall and, as
per the department evaluation, the monsoon is normal“, he added.
Director of the
Punjab agriculture department, Balwinder Singh Sidhu, said, “After a
long time, the rainfall has given respite to the farmers and this
paddy season has proved lighter on their pockets. The trend has
remained the same at the time of sowing, transplanting and now the
required water is available for irrigation. But we cannot be sure
about the future monsoon trends.“
Dr PS Aulakh,
department of porticulture, Punjab Agricultural University, said the
rainfall was beneficial for the seasonal fruits, and that the major
fruit crop 'Kinnow', concentrated in the Bathinda belt, was expected
to have a bumper crop. Other crops like guava and Indian gooseberry (amla)
would also produce a good yield and the farmers would get good
returns, he added.
Agriculture expert
Dr Sardara Singh Johl said that the overall paddy crop sown in Punjab
would benefit from the rainfall, except in areas where the flood had
already damaged the entire crop. He added that the seasonal vegetables
crops have faced serious losses, as during the rainfall there was a
rise in the humidity levels, which led to pest attacks on the crops.
The farmers could not even use pesticides, as the effect of pesticides
was negligible in rainfall.
Moreover, the
monsoon has also brought signs of relief among the farmers in the
state. Earlier, in the absence of proper rainfall, the farmers were
spending Rs 300-400 per acre per day to keep their fields irrigated.
“This time, the rainfall has spared us from the rising prices of
diesel. Otherwise, the increased production cost would have hurt us
financially“, said Jatinder Singh, a farmer.
