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Informist, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025

 

By Pallavi Singhal

 

NEW DELHI – Fears of large-scale losses in wheat production in Punjab have eased sharply this rabi season as farmers have successfully reclaimed and re-sown almost 99% of the land damaged by floods, government data shared exclusively with Informist shows. The development was aided by rapid sand removal, government incentives, and favourable soil moisture conditions, state officials and farm leaders said. 

 

According to the data from the state revenue department as of Dec. 4, floods affected 145,878 hectares across Punjab earlier this year. Of this, 141,025 hectares have already been re-sown. Only 4,853 hectares of land, mostly in isolated pockets that are still burdened with heavy sand deposits, remains unsown.

 

Among the worst-hit districts, Gurdaspur had recorded damage across more than 33,000 hectares, followed by Amritsar at 24,814 hectares, Ferozepur at 15,384 hectares, Fazilka at 14,646 hectares, Kapurthala at 14,173 hectares, and Tarn Taran at 11,933 hectares. While most districts have achieved near-total restoration, Tarn Taran still has over 4,000 hectares pending full recovery, making it the largest remaining stress zone.

 

Farmer leaders say that only small, scattered patches of land remain affected. "Patches of around 100 acres land in various pockets are still filled with sand, especially in badly hit areas of Amritsar and Tarn Taran, but most of the work has been completed," said Ramandeep Mann, a farmer leader in Punjab's Bathinda.

 

Echoing this view, Jagmohan Singh Uppal, state general secretary of Bharatiya Kisan Union Punjab (Dakaunda fraction), said, "Only about 5% of land remains to be worked upon now in patches of Tarn Taran, Amritsar, Kapurthala, and nearby districts. The bulk of land has already been restored."

 

Punjab is a crucial contributor to India's wheat output and accounts for about 16% of the country's total wheat output. Severe floods in September eroded the fertile topsoil and deposited sand layers across vast stretches of the state's farmland. As per estimates, the floods affected over 400,000 hectares of agricultural land in the state, of which about 150,000 hectares was completely destroyed. Consequently, earlier estimates projected wheat production losses of 5-15% for the rabi season.

 

So, what changed? According to a state agriculture officer, it was the government's decision to allow farmers to sell the deposited sand that played a crucial role in accelerating land recovery. "Those who needed sand came with their own tractors and machinery, removed it themselves, and even paid farmers for it. This cleared large tracts of land far quicker than anyone could have anticipated," the officer said.

 

Meanwhile, rabi sowing of wheat in the state has been completed across 99% of the area, despite concerns over delayed withdrawal of the southwest monsoon in September. As of Dec. 4, the state had sown wheat over 3.45 million hectares, against a target of 3.49 million hectares. Sowing of rabi oilseeds has also reached 97.5% of the target, at 498,000 hectares, data showed.

A senior central government official said the late monsoon, which had initially raised fears of delays that it affect sowing, actually helped speed up the process. "Typically, farmers wait for a round of irrigation following the kharif harvest before sowing wheat," the official from the agriculture ministry said. "This year, however, delayed harvests coincided with the late retreat of the monsoons, leaving the soil adequately moist. Seizing this opportunity, farmers immediately sowed their fields after harvesting. This trend was observed not only in Punjab but nationwide."  

 

With more than 98% of the damaged acreage now back under cultivation, officials say the risk to overall wheat production has completely abated. "We, in fact, see higher production on the back of better yields this time," the state official said. Punjab had produced a record 17.9 million tonnes of wheat last season, recording its highest ever yield of 5,116 kilograms per hectare. According to officials, yields may be even better this time. 

 

Concerns that Punjab's flood damage could tighten India's overall wheat availability have also eased. Strong soil moisture, healthy groundwater recharge, and high reservoir levels across major wheat-growing states such as Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana are supporting expectations of higher sowing and yields in those regions. Together, these three states accounted for over 46 million tonnes of wheat output last year, far exceeding Punjab's production.  End

 

Edited by Tanima Banerjee

 

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