Rains flatten wheat crop in Punjab, Haryana

It has also warned that hailstroms or thundersqualls with speed exceeding 45 kmph may also occur at isolated places.

An official of Haryana agriculture department said that the revenue department is in the process of assessing crop loss because of rains.

“Rain at this stage was not desirable as the crop is nearing maturity and current weather conditions could severely affect crop yield,” Punjab Agriculture department Director M S Sandhu said.

He further said the current weather conditions are conducive for yellow rust attack on wheat crop.

“Weather should have been normal at this stage for proper ripening of crop,” he said.

Because of rain which lashed on March 1, about 20 per cent of wheat crop at 5,000 acres of land in Bathinda has got damaged, said Sandhu.

Punjab and Haryana, which are major foodgrain growing states, have 38 lakh hectares and 25 lakh hectares of area, respectively,” under wheat in current rabi season.