Muktsar, July 17: While the recent rainfall has brought some relief to paddy and basmati growers in Punjab, it has caused extensive damage to moong and maize crops in Muktsar district, where fields lay submerged just as harvest season began. Cotton growers too are bracing for potential losses, with large tracts of farmland now waterlogged.
“I had three acres under moong, and it’s all gone,” said Gagan Deep Singh, a farmer from Kabarwala village. “Our village had nearly 250 acres under moong, and the entire crop has been destroyed. The maize crop hasn’t fared any better—waterlogging has hit it hard.”
Muktsar has about 13,200 hectares under cotton cultivation this season. With stagnant water in several fields, cotton growers fear fungal rot and crop death once the sun returns.
Karanjit Singh, Chief Agriculture Officer for the district, confirmed that moong and maize crops had been damaged across multiple villages. “Farmers will now use the destroyed crop as green manure,” he said. “The fate of the cotton crop will be clearer once the weather settles. Cotton often dies if the sun shines after prolonged waterlogging.”
He also pointed to infrastructure failures. “Our teams found that clogged drains in several areas were a major factor in the water not receding quickly,” Karanjit added.
Farmers are urging the government to carry out field-level surveys and announce compensation for the affected crops. Meanwhile, the weather department has predicted more rainfall in the coming days, further compounding concerns in the region.
