A new concern has arisen in front of the farmers of Punjab. Actually, paddy crop in 6 districts of the state has been affected by Dwarf Virus. Due to this virus, the growth of the crop stops and the plants remain dwarf. This is not the first time that this virus has damaged the crop of farmers, but in the last two years also it has put the food producers in trouble.
According to agriculture experts, this virus stops the growth of the crop, which also affects the production. The effect of this virus has been seen in Mohali, Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Nawanshahr, Ropar and Sangrur of Punjab. According to initial information, about 300 acres of crop in Patiala district and about 100 acres of crop in Ropar have been affected by this virus, due to which the growth of paddy has stopped. According to farmers, the maximum effect of this virus is being seen on the PR 131 variety of paddy. At many places, farmers have decided to plant the crop again. They say that due to the virus, the crop remains much smaller than normal, which can affect the yield. Also, they are worried about increasing their expenses due to this.
On the other hand, agriculture officials say that this virus has spread to a very limited area. They have appealed to the farmers to immediately contact agricultural experts wherever the effect of this virus is seen. Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian said that a few days ago he had received information about the effect of this virus on the paddy crop. After this, he had instructed the experts of the Agriculture University to visit the affected fields. Experts have also taken samples of the affected crops. He said that initial investigation has also revealed that this virus can also affect the crops due to early rains. He said that the Agriculture Department is keeping an eye on the entire situation.
