Punjab farmers suffer heavy losses as late blight disease ravages potato crop | Watch Video

PTC Web Desk: Following warnings issued by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) experts regarding the late blight disease's potential threat to potato crops, the worst apprehensions of farmers have come true.

The disease has caused substantial damage to more than 50 percent of the potato crop across various districts in Punjab, resulting in significant losses for farmers who opted for crop diversification instead of continuing with wheat cultivation after the paddy season.

Reports from several districts such as Machhiwara, Samrala, Khanna, Amloh, Nabha, Hoshiarpur, and others indicate that potatoes are deteriorating in the fields even before the scheduled harvest. This scenario has dealt a double blow to those who diversified their crops, as the disease not only devastated the produce, but also crashed wholesale potato prices in the market.

Satwant Singh, a commercial potato farmer, disclosed that over 60% of his crop had succumbed to the late blight attack. Despite adhering to PAU's recommended fungicide sprays, they couldn't salvage the crop. The excessive humidity during nights favoured the blight, leading to complete damage, particularly impacting baby potatoes. The cost of harvesting them now would be unproductive and incur significant labor expenses.

He highlighted the escalating costs of potato harvesting, including labour expenses amounting to Rs 35 per acre and Rs 20 per bag. Last year's selling price to snack manufacturers at Rs 24-27/kg has plummeted to Rs 9/kg this year. Similarly, table potato prices dropped from Rs 12/kg to Rs 4-6/kg. He appealed to the government to permit exports to mitigate the substantial losses faced by farmers, citing higher prices in neighboring countries like Pakistan.

Late blight, a fungal disease, displays symptoms such as small, green circular spots on potatoes, which rapidly expand during cool, moist weather into dark lesions. Dr. PS Sandhu from PAU elucidated on these symptoms and cautioned against using susceptible varieties. PAU officials emphasised the importance of proper plant spacing and the immediate removal of infected crop residue to prevent the spread of the disease. They discouraged overhead sprinkler irrigation and advocated for the use of drip irrigation to minimise the proliferation of the disease.