Dip in night temp delays wheat harvesting in Punjab
BATHINDA : Wheat harvesting in Punjab is set to be delayed by 7-10 days due to the ongoing low night temperature, according to farm experts.
According to the agrometeorological centre of Punjab Agricultural University’s regional research centre in Bathinda, the maximum temperature since April 1 remained between 31 and 38 degrees Celsius while the average minimum temperature hovered around 16 degrees Celsius.
State agriculture director Jaswant Singh, who was in Bathinda on Wednesday to attend an inter-state consultative and monitoring committee for cotton, said the rain forecast over the weekend may further impact the full-scale harvest of wheat in various areas.
The initial market trend says that this time, wheat arrival was slow by 98% as compared to the corresponding period last year.
“India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted light to moderate rain from April 13-15 in different places across Punjab. Farmers are being alerted about the possible inclement weather conditions. Wheat is in the final stage of maturity and we are keeping our fingers crossed given the forecast of rain and thunderstorms in the next few days,” he said.
Wheat was sown on about 35 lakh hectares in Punjab and the department is expecting bumper crop this year, the agriculture director said.
Officials said normally the wheat harvesting picks up pace by April 10 but this time, it is going on at a much slower pace.
“This year, nights are cooler than the average while the maximum temperature during days in quite high. This temperature change has impacted crop ripening that is delaying harvesting,” said agriculture director.
In the last rabi season, Punjab had produced about 161 lakh tonnes of wheat and experts are pinning hope to surpass last year’s yield.According to the Punjab Mandi Board data, only 1,528 tonnes of wheat has arrived in mandis across the state since April 1, when the procurement process started in the state.
