MULTAN City News

Unseasonal rains take a toll on mango, wheat crops
Farmers’ leader say rains not only delayed
harvesting of Rabi crops but also sowing of Kharif crops
From Nadeem Shah
MULTAN: The recent spell of unseasonal rains has damaged wheat and mango crops in south Punjab districts.
The mango growers said that the rains and cloudy weather had destroyed 50pc mango flowering in Multan, Khanewal and Rahimyar Khan and other areas. They feared that the mango production would be far below the expectations. Mango Growers Association president Syed Zahid Gardezi said that the bad weather and fog during winter had already damaged the mango orchards and the recent rain received on Sunday night had added to the growers’ problems. He said that the rains had caused large scale destruction of pre-matured mango orchards.
The farm experts said that the rains had not only damaged wheat, but also canola, gram and sunflower crops. They were expecting at least 10 days delay in the wheat harvesting owing to the recent rains. They said that the government would not be able to launch the procurement drive from April 20 in the province because of the delayed harvesting. They said that the wheat harvesting in Punjab began in the beginning of April, but this year it was likely to be delayed. They said that the rains in March and April had also damaged the quality of wheat. “The grain will have high moisture content. It will not be good for long term storage,” they added. The farm experts also warned of attack of fungal disease stripe rust or yellow rust on wheat crop because of weather conditions and advised the farmers to monitor their crops regularly to prevent any damage from the disease.
Kisan Committee president Malik Iqbal said that strong winds and hailstorm in March and April had added to the woes of the farmers. He said that the standing crop would not be of much use as it would have higher moisture content and the procurement agencies would be unwilling to purchase it. He said that the rains had not only delayed harvesting of Rabi crops but also delayed sowing of Kharif crops. He demanded the government provide compensation to the farmers, whose crops were damaged by the unseasonal rains.
When contacted, the Punjab Agriculture Department officials predicted a delay of at least 15-20 days in wheat harvesting. They said that 15-20 per cent wheat crop was damaged due to hailstorm.
The Punjab Crop Reporting Service officials said that the losses incurred due to the rains were being estimated in the wheat growing districts.