Punjab, which contributes more than 22% of the rice to the central pool, is facing severe setbacks due to natural calamities and other factors.
SNPNEWS.IN News (Gurmail Kamboj) The main Kharif crop of 2025, rice, which is sown over approximately 32.49 lakh hectares in Punjab, has become a cause of worry and distress for farmers and traders this year.
After the Punjab government changed (advanced) the rice sowing schedule, large-scale transplantation of rice in Punjab was completed before June 15. As a result, the rice crop suffered widespread damage due to high temperatures and other reasons, with attacks of the dwarfing disease on varieties like PR-131, Pusa-44, and several others.
Additionally, devastating floods in August 2025 (caused by heavy rains in Himachal and Jammu-Kashmir) affected 7-8 out of Punjab’s 23 districts. These were the most severe floods since 1988, submerging 3.71 lakh acres (approximately 1.5 lakh hectares) of agricultural land, most of which had standing rice crops.
In districts spared from floods, unseasonal rainfall (occurring during the crop’s maturity stage) caused heavy losses. Compared to previous years, yields in these areas were 15-20 maunds per acre lower, becoming a matter of concern for farmers, traders, and the government.
READ IT: Punjab Is Facing Once Again Floods 78 Years After Independence
According to reports, in flood-affected districts, standing crops worth 29-30 thousand crore rupees over 3.71 lakh acres were destroyed. Additionally, due to unseasonal rains and dwarfing disease, yields dropped by 15-20%, resulting in a loss of 14,133–18,844 crore rupees over the remaining 98.6 lakh acres that escaped flooding.
A loss of 44-49 thousand crore rupees to Punjab’s economy in a single blow has become a serious concern for farmers, traders, and the government.