Floods in Punjab have devastated standing kharif (summer) crops and are likely to disrupt the upcoming rabi sowing season as well, with fertile topsoil washed away from fields.
More than 1.92 lakh hectares of standing crops have been damaged, with the worst-affected districts being Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Fazilka, Patiala, Kapurthala and Firozpur, according to the Punjab government’s latest data. The primary crops affected by the floods are paddy, including basmati that dominates Punjab’s kharif crop season, followed by cotton and horticulture crops.
The total cultivable land in the state is 42.4 lakh hectares. Of this, 35.80 lakh hectares are under crops such as foodgrains, cereals, sugarcane and cotton, and the remaining are under horticulture crops and others including agro-forestry. Horticulture crops include fruits, vegetables, flowers, spices, medicinal and ornamental plants.
“As per preliminary estimates, out of the total damaged crop, 85% is paddy, followed by cotton (10%) and others including horticulture crops, pulses and fodder,” Jaswant Singh, director, Punjab’s department of agriculture & farmers welfare, said.
Broadly affected
The total paddy area in the current kharif season is 32.4 lakh hectares and cotton is around 1.1 lakh hectares. Besides the major crops, vegetables, pulses, and fodder crops have also been affected.
The June-September southwest monsoon, which delivers about 76% of India’s annual rainfall, plays a decisive role in shaping the country’s agriculture and economy. Rainfall in Punjab exceeded the normal by over 50%, leading to the state’s worst floods in four decades.
Incessant rainfall in August caused rivers to overflow, breaching embankments and resulting in large-scale inundation of farmlands across 18 districts of Punjab’s 23 districts. Paddy is a water-intensive crop, but suffered due to water stagnation causing root rot. Farmers in many districts reported heavy losses. For instance, Gurdaspur alone reported crop loss over 40,169 hectares, followed by Amritsar with around 27,154 hectares and Fazilka with 19,037 hectares, according to the state government’s report.
Also, cotton farmers were hit hard in southern districts like Mansa and Bathinda, with estimates suggesting damage to over 10,000 hectares. Many cotton fields were submerged for days, leading to boll rot and complete crop failure in some areas. Additionally, the floods have affected 2,214 villages in 22 districts.
Assessments on
Officials from the Punjab revenue department informed that girdawari (field-level damage assessment) has been started across the state, which will determine the compensation to be offered to the affected farmers. The Punjab government has assured that relief and financial aid will be provided based on survey reports.
“It’s a great loss for the farmers as the floods have put their livelihood at stake,” said Devinder Sharma, agricultural policy expert. The government must account for all the losses including crop, livestock, houses while assessing the damage and awarding the compensation. According to Sharma, nearly 6% of the total paddy area has been damaged, however, he is of the view that the production will still be higher.
The Punjab government has announced a compensation of ₹20,000 per acre for crop damage, but many affected farmers argue that this support is inadequate. “Considering the loss, the announced compensation by the state government is not adequate. The government must increase the compensation as its not only crop loss but it’s loss of livelihood,” said Ravijit Singh, a farmer from Amritsar.
The floods have also washed away topsoil in many fields, potentially impacting the upcoming Rabi season as well. According to Jaswant Singh, it’s too early to say, but the rabi crop could also be impacted, as floods have also washed away topsoil in many fields.
