Rains lash parts of Haryana and Punjab, worry farmers as wheat crop nears harvesting stage

Chandigarh: The rains lashed most of Punjab and parts of Haryana on Wednesday, leaving farmers a worried lot over the fate of their wheat crop nearing the harvesting stage. According to the India Meteorological Department office, Punjab had widespread rains on Wednesday, covering almost the entire state, while Haryana had it in places like Faridabad, Kurukshetra, Palwal, Kaithal, Jind, Ambala, Panchkula, Yamunanagar and Hisar. Chandigarh too received some rainfalls on Wednesday morning. [caption id=“attachment_4427259” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Reuters[/caption] The rains, which lashed the two states on Monday too, have increased the worries of wheat farmers as heavy showers are harmful for ripening wheat crop. Both Punjab and Haryana are the key wheat producing states in the country. The rains, which are unusual during this time of the year for Punjab and Haryana, were caused by western disturbances. Farmers say the rainy conditions are detrimental for their wheat harvest. “The rains are unusual during this time of the year. During the past three days, the weather has been either rainy or overcast, which may delay the wheat harvest,” said Santokh Singh, a farmer from Jalandhar district. Another farmer from Kurukshetra said some agriculture experts have suggested that they should not harvest their crop for a week, so that the moisture content subsides. There were reports that the winds accompanying the rains have slightly flattened the crop at a few places in the two states. A IMD official, meanwhile, said that weather will be clear from Thursday and temperatures, which have fallen around two to four notches due to rains, would start rising from Friday.