High moisture content delays potato harvest

JALANDHAR: Unseasonal rains coupled with hailstorm activities and strong winds have wreaked havoc over the crops with potato growers of the region saying that the exact idea of extent of damage to their crop would be clear once they would be able to undertake harvesting.

"More than rain water, it is now the extended moisture that is delaying harvest and the damage is increasing," said Tega Singh of Chak Chela village near Shahkot in Jalandhar district, who has potato crop io around 200 acre.

"By the third week of February we usually harvest more than half of the crop, but this time we could take out potatoes from just one acre that had some damage. The real extent of damage would be known only when harvesting is done," he said, adding that the delay would also impact the next crop.

"Harvesting has been delayed by around three weeks to a month. While earlier major parts of the crop would be harvested by this time of the season, now most of the crop is still in fields. Damage would be known after the harvesting is undertaken," said Sulakhan Singh of the same village, who has crop on around 40 acre.

Jarnail Singh of Motipur Khalsa village near Phillaur said earlier sowing of the next crop would start along with harvesting, but now the next crop would be sown at the same time and this would result in glut. "Apart from damage to the potato crop, next crop would also be affected," he added.