The rains sweeping through the semi-arid southwestern districts of the state have emerged as a significant threat to the region’s crucial cotton and kinnow crops, officials and farmers have said. With over 8,000 acres of farmland inundated in Fazilka alone, the incessant rain is dampening hopes of a good harvest this kharif season.
Cotton, which is at the sensitive flowering stage, has borne the brunt of downpours over the past 48 hours.
According to agricultural experts, the cotton crop was doing well till Sunday in the entire region before the untimely showers posed a serious challenge to the crop, referred to as “white gold”. According to Karamjit Singh Sekhon, regional director of the Bathinda-based regional research station of the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), pest infestation was completely under control and a good production season was expected this kharif season, but the inclement weather has now triggered the scare of disease attacks that would affect the growth of the plants. Cotton crops do not require water-accumulated fields. Moderate to heavy rainfall in the last 48 hours is not conducive for the crop, he said.
“Till August 24, infestation of the whitefly, pink bollworm and sucking pest jassid was completely under control. But a sudden change in the climatic conditions is posing a serious challenge to the cotton crop where farmers will not be able to use farm chemicals. Cotton crop is in the advanced stage and rainfall at this juncture will have an adverse impact on it,” he added.
As per the provisional data of the state agriculture department, Fazilka was leading with 1.38 lakh acres under cotton cultivation in the 2025-26 kharif cycle.
Fazilka chief agriculture officer Rajinder Kumar Kamboj said 8,000 acres of land under cotton cultivation have been inundated for the last almost two weeks, and more cotton area is getting hit due to rains. “There is a rain forecast till this weekend, which is not favourable for cotton,” he added.
A progressive kinnow grower from Abohar, hub of the mandarin fruit production in the country, Arvind Setia, said that orchards in nearly 10 villages are flooded due to heavy rains in the last three weeks. “The water table in Abohar area is high due to the problem of acute waterlogging. This doesn’t allowing seepage of floodwaters. Without proper seepage, prolonged standing water in the orchards can cause fruit drop and damage trees,” he said.
