Photo Source: Babushahi Bureau
Pargat Singh slams Punjab Govt over flood-hit farmers’ plight, calls for immediate relief, fair MSP
Babushahi Bureau
Jalandhar (Punjab), November 3, 2025:All India Congress Committee Secretary, former Education Minister, and MLA Padma Shri Pargat Singh today visited the flood-affected grain market at Kukkar Pind, Jalandhar, to assess the situation of farmers struggling to sell their paddy produce.
During his visit, Pargat Singh alleged that the Punjab government has failed to provide sufficient procurement infrastructure and ensure fair and timely crop purchase in mandis. He interacted with farmers facing severe difficulties in the sale process and urged the state to act swiftly to prevent further distress.
Expressing grave concern over massive crop losses caused by this year’s floods, he said that by October, only 30–32% of paddy harvesting had been completed, leaving a large portion of the crop still standing in the fields. Many farmers, he alleged, are being forced to sell below the Minimum Support Price (MSP) due to government inaction.
Quoting media estimates, Pargat Singh said Punjab’s farmers face potential losses of around ₹10,000 crore as paddy production has dropped sharply this season.
The Food and Civil Supplies Department has already reduced the procurement target from 185 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) to 150 LMT — a nearly 20% decline and the lowest yield since 2016, when only 140 LMT were procured.
He further highlighted that nearly 3.5–4 lakh acres of farmland were submerged during the floods, leading to damage across 37% of the total crop area, with losses exceeding ₹7,500 crore. The most affected districts include Tarn Taran, Fazilka, Gurdaspur, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, and Ferozepur, while Amritsar and Mansa also suffered extensive damage.
The Congress leader said that Punjab’s average paddy yield — typically over 30 quintals per acre — has fallen by 10–15% in most regions, with severely hit areas losing up to 90% of standing crops, resulting in per-acre losses of nearly ₹30,000. He noted that many farmers are now struggling to even pay rent for leased land.
Pargat Singh added that large parts of farmland remain covered under layers of silt and sand (1–3 feet deep) even after the water receded, posing a major challenge for wheat sowing and soil recovery.
Raising another pressing issue, he said that farmers are struggling to procure DAP fertilizer through government supply and are being forced to buy it from private dealers at inflated rates between ₹1,800 and ₹2,000 per bag. Reports also suggest that farmers are being compelled to purchase additional micro-nutrients along with fertilizer. Punjab, he warned, faces a shortage of around two lakh tonnes of DAP this season.
He demanded that the Aam Aadmi Party government and Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann immediately ensure MSP payments and compensation for damaged crops, besides making subsidized DAP fertilizer available to all farmers at government rates without delay.