Punjab: While the rise in temperature in February has been a cause of concern for wheat growers, the rain since Wednesday night has brought cheer to the farmers. It rained all day on Thursday and the sun shone for about an hour. Hailstorms also occurred in some parts of the Doaba region, especially in and around Jalandhar city, but agriculture experts and farmers say that there has been no damage to the crops. Former Joint Director (Agriculture) Surinder Singh said, “The size of the hailstones was not so big that it could cause any damage to the standing crop. The hailstorm occurred in a limited area. However, the rains occurred on a wide scale and the temperature has dropped by six to seven degrees, which is a big relief for the farmers. If the temperature had continued to rise, the yield could have declined. The rains have brought great relief to wheat growers. However, potato growers need to ensure that water does not accumulate in the fields around the crop, otherwise the crop may get ruined.” ‘Hoping for a good harvest’
Sukhdev S Bhullar, a wheat farmer from Bhullar Bet village in Kapurthala, said, “We thank the rain gods for showering their blessings on us. There was no hail or strong winds in our area.” Salwinder Singh Janiyan, a farmer from Shahkot, said, “There was no hailstorm around our fields. The rainfall was also moderate. All the farmers in our area are now hoping for a good harvest once again with the fall in temperatures.”
