India: Unseasonal Rains Affect Harvesting In Punjab

Unseasonal rains along with strong winds and hail storms in many parts of India's Punjab state have hurt the quality of harvested rice and may reduce the yield of the standing crop.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said that he had requested the central government to relax rules for purchasing grain so farmers would be able sell rice that has been discolored by rain.

With widespread rains drenching many areas, harvesting will be delayed by three to four days. The showers also affected paddy stored at various open grain markets.

Punjab has 2.67 million hectares (6.6 million acres) of area under rice cultivation this year, up from 2.61 million hectares in 2007, and production is likely to be 10.4 million MT.