Advance Paddy Sowing Leads to Storage Concern; Marigold & Pomegranate Succeed

On 20 Jul, in his meeting with Indian Union Food Minister Prahlad Joshi, Panjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann emphasised the need to create space for an anticipated additional 12 million metric tonnes (MMT) of rice in the upcoming monsoon marketing season. To achieve this, Panjab has sought a consistent monthly movement of 1-2 MMT rice to ensure approximately 4 MMT of available storage by Dec. This issue is urgent given Panjab's decision to advance paddy cultivation this season by 15 days. The state government has also urged the union govt to bring forward the paddy procurement schedule accordingly—from the regular 15 Sep. Panjab's advanced paddy sowing also affected chilli rowers who faced labor shortage and poor sales to Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. Despite remarkable growth in chilli cultivation in Ferozepur, from 736 hectares in 2014-15 to 2,732 hectares in 2024-25, faced with low prices and scarce buyers, many farmers prematurely ploughed back their chilli crops and proceeded with paddy sowing. Prices fell from USD 2.08 per kg in 2023 to USD 1.5 in 2024 to USD 0.81 in 2025. Meanwhile, in Pedni Kalan village, district Sangrur, 41-year-old Sukhdeep Singh has carved out a vibrant niche with marigolds. Over the past decade, he has transformed his four acres into a floriculture hub. His marigold calendar is finely tuned for festivals like Dussehra, Diwali, Lohri, and the wedding season demand (January to April). He earns about USD 7K per acre. Another farmer, 50-year-old Karamjeet Singh of Chano village, district Fatehgarh Sahib experimented with pomegranate trees which yielded him good money. The farmer has increased the area under the fruit to two acres and plans to double the area. He is now earning between USD 6-13K per acre annually, depending on the crop yield. Karamjeet manages his family’s agricultural and transport business. He said, 'We frequently travel to Maharashtra as part of our transport business. I noticed that pomegranate is one of the major crops there and farmers were making good money. It gave us the idea to experiment on our own land in 2020' (earlier coverage).