Central team to assess crop damage in Punjab today; Over 1.3 lakh acres affected
Babushhai Bureau
Chandigarh, April 12, 2026: A central government team will visit Punjab on Sunday to assess the extent of crop damage caused by recent unseasonal rains across the state. The nine-member delegation will conduct field inspections in affected districts.
The team will be led by P.K. Singh, Deputy Director in the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. Officials from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and the Punjab government will accompany the delegation during the visit.
As part of the assessment, wheat samples will also be collected from mandis and fields to evaluate quality loss. The findings are expected to play a crucial role in determining the Centre’s next course of action.
The Punjab government has already urged the Centre to relax procurement norms, insisting that farmers should not be forced to sell their produce below the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of ₹2,585 per quintal. It has sought leniency in quality parameters due to weather-related damage. Earlier, similar concessions were reportedly extended to Rajasthan.
According to preliminary estimates, standing crops over nearly 1.30 lakh acres have been severely damaged. Additionally, there are concerns about quality deterioration across several lakh acres. Wheat arriving in mandis has shown moisture levels of up to 15 percent, exceeding the prescribed limit of 12 percent. Initial checks have also indicated lustre loss of up to 60 percent, raising concerns over procurement and pricing.