Chandigarh: Heavy rains have lashed vast swathes of Punjab and some parts of Haryana since yesterday, raising fears of damage to paddy crop which is ready for harvesting.
After untimely rains and hailstorm in March-April this year caused heavy damage to crops in the two leading agrarian states, heavy showers at the fag end of the monsoon have again increased the woes of the farmers.
“Heavy rains, just before the paddy procurement, may affect the quality of grain and increase moisture content in standing paddy plants. The current spell of rain is not good for paddy including basmati as the crops are almost ready for Heavy rains lash Punjab at harvest time.
“Moreover, there have been reports of rains being accompanied by strong winds at many places in Punjab which will further damage the crop and may affect yield,” Bhartiya Kisan Union (Rajewal) President Balbir Singh Rajewal said.
During the past 24 hours ending at 8:30 this morning, heavy rains lashed several places in Punjab and few parts of Haryana, a MeT Department official said.