Late Sowing Concerns Ease—These Wheat Varieties Can Still Give High Yields Till End of November

Krishi Dunia

• 22 Nov, 2025 11:05 AM IST ,
• Updated Sun, 23 Nov 2025 03:34 PM

Heavy flooding and record rainfall have significantly impacted wheat sowing across Punjab this season. Normally, wheat sowing in the state is completed between 1 and 15 November, but this year the process has been seriously delayed. According to the Agriculture Department, wheat has so far been planted on 30.14 lakh hectares, which is 4.85 lakh hectares less than last year’s Rabi season area of 35 lakh hectares.

Why Wheat Sowing Is Delayed

• Overflowing rivers and silt deposition in fields
• Nearly 5,300 acres of farmland washed away in floods
• Delay in cotton harvesting, especially in the southern Malwa region

These conditions have made land preparation difficult, raising serious concerns about wheat productivity.

Impact on the Central Food Buffer

Punjab plays a major role in supplying food grains to India’s Central Food Pool. A reduction in sown area may affect national food security as well as farmers’ incomes.

Government Advisory: Switch to Late-Sown Wheat Varieties

To prevent a drop in production, the Agriculture Department has recommended wheat varieties that perform well even when sown late:

Officials say that timely sowing of these late-maturity varieties will help safeguard yield levels.

Controversy Over Free Seed Distribution

The state government had announced free seed distribution for flood-affected farmers. However, many farmers claim that seeds arrived too late, after the ideal sowing window had already passed.

Agriculture Director Jaswant Singh denied these allegations, saying:
“We started seed distribution from 23 October. Nearly 1.50 lakh quintals of seed have already reached eligible farmers.”

However, a report by The Indian Express noted that several districts are still facing delays in the supply of wheat, lentil, gram, and berseem seeds. Due to the prolonged delay, officials are now exploring options to sell the surplus stock.

When Should These Crops Ideally Be Sown?

Conclusion

Flooding has severely disrupted wheat sowing across Punjab. While the government and agriculture experts remain hopeful that late-sown wheat varieties will prevent major yield losses, farmers continue to face difficulties. Delayed seed supply and unpredictable weather conditions have added to their challenges, making this winter sowing season particularly uncertain.