Punjab agriculture department reports 2-quintal per acre dip in wheat yield after crop-cutting experiments
Punjab’s wheat yield declined by about two quintals per acre due to unseasonal rains and hailstorms, causing losses over ₹5,000 per acre. Total output dropped, though procurement continues, with relaxed quality norms introduced to support farmers facing crop damage and reduced productivity.
Punjab agriculture department’s crop-cutting experiments conducted to assess the wheat yield have shown an average decline of two quintals per acre compared to the 2025 season, translating into a direct loss of over ₹5,000 per acre for farmers.
This season, wheat was cultivated over 86 lakh acres, and a total yield is estimated to be 182 lakh tonnes. The state government, which opened the procurement process on April 1 in 1,872 mandis, has made arrangements for purchasing 122 lakh tonnes. To date, nearly 50 lakh tonnes have arrived in the mandis for procurement. A sum of ₹2,585 per quintal is being offered to the farmers for their produce.
Last year, a total yield of 188 lakh tonne was recorded in the state, out of which 119 lakh tonne was purchased by the state government agencies for the Centre’s nation-wide public distribution.
The crop in the state suffered damage due to unseasonal rains and hailstorms in the fag end of March and the first week of April during the final stage of maturing, leading to widespread lodging and damage to grains. The department so far has compiled 850 reports of the crop experiments, concluding an average yield of 20 quintals per acre against last year’s average yield of 22 quintals per acre.
Initial surveys by the state revenue and disaster management department put the rain-induced major crop damage at 1.25 lakh acres, prompting a girdawari to assess the exact loss. The final report, according to a top revenue official, is expected in a few days.
Pathankot reports lowest yield
Pathankot district has reported the lowest per-acre yield of 16 quintals, followed by Hoshiarpur (18 quintals) and Mohali (18.5 quintals). In these districts, last year’s yield was also low, but this year it has dipped further. However, the districts that have suffered major damage in the current season include Faridkot, which has suffered a fall of 3 quintals per acre from 23 quintals in 2025 to 20 quintals now.
Similarly, as per the reports compiled so far, Amritsar and Barnala suffered a loss from 22.5 quintals to 20 quintals in the current season, witnessing a loss of 2.5 quintals per acre. Bathinda, Kapurthala, and Mansa have also suffered a loss of two quintals per acre as compared to the last season’s yield. On the contrary, Jalandhar district has seen a jump in the yield from 21.5 quintals per acre in 2025 to 22 quintals in the current season.
According to an official in the state agriculture there is no system of compensating the loss incurred by the farmers due to a fall in the yield. He, however, added that the crop being harvested was sown early, and those portions faced damage because the crop matured in March when there was a sudden rise in the temperatures. “The yield may improve in the crop cutting tests being performed at a later stage,” the official, who didn’t wish to be named, added.
The Centre, on April 17, announced relaxation of the norms for the procurement of wheat in Punjab. According to the official communication received by Punjab, the loss of lustre in the wheat crop has been allowed up to 70% against the existing norms of zero, shrivelled and broken grain up to 15% against the norms of up to 6% and damaged and slightly damaged to 6% against the norms of 2%.
To Read more about Wheat News continue reading Agriinsite.com
Source : Hindustan Times
