After a drop in production of wheat due to an unprecedented heat wave in March 2022, farmers are bracing themselves for a season of bad paddy produce. Rice production has been impacted by the rains which occurred in September. As per India Meteorological Department, September saw excess rainfall of 82% in Haryana, a phenomenon that last occurred in 1945. Similarly, Punjab also received 30% more rain for the first time since 1988.
The Wire‘s Zeeshan Kaskar travelled to Kharkhoda in Sonipat district of Haryana to find out the ground reality. The farmers are facing issues on many fronts. Apart from the change in climate affecting the crops, issues related to non-fulfilment of subsidies, non-procurement of certain crops, lack of support from insurance agencies and even suicides came to the fore. The farmer is in distress and they have no one to turn to.
“Climate change is real and it is negatively affecting farmers,” says Abhimanyu Kohar of Kharkhoda. An engineer who now works for the farmers’ group Bharatiya Kisan Naujawan Union, Kohar says farmers are already feeling the negative effects of climate change and
Watch the video for full details.