📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Kamran sardar
Agriculture
Punjab Harvest Lagging: 18.4% Rice Harvested, 400 Parali Burning Cases
✍️ Amar Ujala · Patiala
🗓 22 Oct 2026, 10:31 AM
👁 13
In Punjab, rice harvest covers just 18.4% of the area, while over 400 cases of illegal parali burning have been reported.
Punjab’s rice cultivation season has seen a sluggish start, with only 18.40% of the total area reported as harvested so far. The delay has raised concerns among farmers and agricultural officials about potential yield shortfalls.
Alongside the slow harvest, authorities have logged more than 400 incidents of illegal parali burning – the practice of setting fire to rice stubble to clear fields. The cases have been recorded across several districts, prompting a crackdown on the activity.
The state’s agriculture department has urged farmers to adopt safer post‑harvest practices and has increased monitoring to curb illegal burning. Law enforcement agencies have also stepped up patrols in affected areas.
The combination of a delayed harvest and widespread parali burning poses risks to both crop productivity and environmental health, with officials warning that continued delays could affect the state’s overall agricultural output.
Alongside the slow harvest, authorities have logged more than 400 incidents of illegal parali burning – the practice of setting fire to rice stubble to clear fields. The cases have been recorded across several districts, prompting a crackdown on the activity.
The state’s agriculture department has urged farmers to adopt safer post‑harvest practices and has increased monitoring to curb illegal burning. Law enforcement agencies have also stepped up patrols in affected areas.
The combination of a delayed harvest and widespread parali burning poses risks to both crop productivity and environmental health, with officials warning that continued delays could affect the state’s overall agricultural output.