Punjab farmers race to complete wheat sowing as farm fires rise
Farmers are clearing paddy residue to meet sowing deadlines, leading to an increase in stubble burning incidents across the state.
Farmers in Punjab are working to clear paddy residue to complete wheat sowing as the ideal planting window narrows, according to The Times of India. While more than 95 per cent of the paddy crop has been harvested, nearly half of the wheat crop is yet to be planted.
The urgency to clear fields has increased demand for crop residue management (CRM) machinery. Farmers unable to access this equipment are increasingly resorting to stubble burning, which has led to a rise in farm fire incidents. Punjab recorded 1,152 farm fire incidents on Diwali.
Punjab agriculture director Gurjit Singh Brar said that paddy harvesting is almost complete and wheat sowing has crossed the 50 per cent mark. He stated that experts at Punjab Agricultural University believe wheat sown up to the third week of November matures smoothly, with the sowing process expected to finish by November 20-22.
Agricultural experts are also concerned about the expected strengthening of El Niño, which the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says is likely to peak around December and persist through February 2027. This could result in warm and dry winter conditions that may reduce soil moisture.
Another challenge is the lack of adequate wattar conditions, or optimum soil moisture, required for proper seed germination. An agriculture department official said that under proper wattar conditions, wheat seeds are sown at a depth of 4-5 cm in rows spaced 20-22 cm apart.