AMIT PUNIA is in distress. The 24-year-old farmer from Khudan village in Haryana's Jhajjar district says above-normal rains in January and record-shattering temperatures in March have reduced his wheat yield by almost 60 per cent compared to 2021. “In January, when the wheat spikes (which bear the grains) developed, part of my crop in low-lying areas perished after remaining submerged for several days, says Punia, who owns 3 hectares (ha) and took another 8 ha on lease this year for ₹6 lakh. The remaining crop was battered by extreme temperatures in March. The losses accompany a spike in the prices of diesel, manure, seeds and spray. It has become difficult to meet our inputs cost, he says.
Like Punia, most wheat-growing farmers in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have experienced losses this year. Sandeep Singh, a farmer from Balla village in Karnal, says the yield has dropped by 20-30 per cent. “I saw such a low yield for the first a time ever. Every farmer is vulnerable here,” says Bittu Singh, owner of a thresher machine in Chandpur village in Punjab's Mohali district.
Farmers are also facing difficulties in getting the minimum support price (MSP) for their produce because of the high share of shrivelled grains. On April 13, 2022, the Centre, on the insistence of the Punjab government, said it would revise its wheat procurement norms for shrivelled grains. This year, the share of shrivelled grain in the total produce has reached 12-20 per cent, as per the Food Corporation of India, as against the usual 6 per per cent.
UNUSUAL MARCH
Esta historia es de la edición May 01, 2022 de Down To Earth.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición May 01, 2022 de Down To Earth.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara
