Wheat Crop Affected by Strong Winds and Unseasonal Rains

24-Mar-2026 01:19 PM

New Delhi. There are apprehensions that the wheat crop in states such as Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh has suffered some damage due to unseasonal rains accompanied by strong winds over the past week.

The Central Government has not yet received any official reports regarding crop damage caused by storms and rains in various parts of the country; however, experts believe that 5–7 percent of the wheat crop has been damaged as a result of this natural calamity.

According to agricultural experts, the risk of damage is particularly high in areas where farmers had irrigated their wheat fields just one or two days prior to the onset of the storms and rains. In most regions, the crop had begun to mature, and the force of the strong winds caused the plants to lodge (fall to the ground).

While the damage is currently assessed as minor and its scope is considered limited, farmers fear that they may face a decline in the average wheat yield, in addition to a potential deterioration in grain quality.

It is anticipated that this natural calamity will have a relatively greater impact on the wheat crop in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Punjab. In several districts of Uttar Pradesh, strong winds have caused significant damage to the standing crop.

Preparations for the harvest of early-sown wheat crops have already commenced, and at the national level, harvesting has been completed across approximately 4 percent of the total cultivation area.

This includes states such as Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. In other states—including Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh—the pace of wheat harvesting is expected to gather momentum starting next month.