Unseasonal Rain Brings Wheat Harvest in Kangra to a Halt, Farmers Fear Losses

Unseasonal rain and adverse weather over the past two days have dealt a serious blow to wheat harvesting and procurement in the lower areas of Kangra district. Just when farmers were picking up pace with harvesting, the sudden wet spell brought field operations to an abrupt standstill, delaying harvesting, threshing, and slowing procurement at designated centres.

The wheat crop in the region had already suffered setbacks earlier in the season due to a prolonged dry spell in winter, which delayed sowing. After weeks of waiting, farmers had finally begun harvesting in earnest. However, the rainfall since Tuesday has reversed that progress, leaving crops stranded in fields and farmers anxious about potential damage.

Many farmers who had harvested their wheat over the past week are now facing serious difficulties. Threshing operations have been halted, and harvested produce lies exposed to moisture, raising fears of quality deterioration and financial losses. In a desperate effort to protect their crop, several farmers have resorted to covering wheat bundles in their fields with plastic sheets, though this offers only limited relief under persistent rain.

The disruption has also affected wheat procurement across Kangra district. Procurement activities at three centres set up by the State Marketing Board and the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC), Kangra—located at Milwan in Indora subdivision and Fatehpur and Riyali in Fatehpur subdivision—have slowed considerably due to delays in harvesting and threshing.

Although the HP State Food and Civil Supplies Corporation had planned to begin wheat procurement from April 8, operations in Kangra were pushed back as harvesting in the lower belt commenced late. Procurement started at the Riyali centre on April 11, followed by Milwan on April 16 and Fatehpur on April 17. However, no wheat was procured at the Nagrota Bagwan centre, as farmers did not bring their produce there.

Sharing details, Shagun Sood, Secretary of APMC, Kangra, said that between April 8 and April 28, a total of 6,634 quintals of wheat from 96 farmers was procured at the Riyali centre. At Milwan, 1,824 quintals from 34 farmers were procured, while the Fatehpur centre recorded procurement of 171 quintals from five farmers. The Nagrota Bagwan centre saw no arrivals during this period.

She added that the Kangra APMC has been providing essential facilities to farmers at procurement centres, including drinking water, waiting rooms, electricity, parking space, wooden crates, storage, and winnowing machines. Labour and grain-cleaning charges have also been standardised to reduce the burden on farmers.

The HP State Food and Civil Supplies Corporation is procuring wheat at the minimum support price of Rs 2,585 per quintal, as fixed by the Central Government for the current season. However, with weather conditions remaining uncertain, farmers remain worried that continued rain could further delay operations and deepen their losses.