Worst floods since 1988 devastate Punjab's agriculture sector
Punjab is dealing with its worst floods since 1988—over 1,900 villages are underwater after heavy monsoon rains.
So far, 51 people have lost their lives and almost 3.8 lakh people have been affected.
Cities like Ludhiana are struggling with waterlogged streets and overflowing sewage. The state's massive agriculture sector has taken a big hit too.
Farmers see losses per acre that go way beyond government payout
About 400,000 acres of farmland—roughly 4% of Punjab's crops—are damaged, including paddy, cotton, maize, and sugarcane fields.
Many farmers are seeing losses per acre that go way beyond the ₹20,000 government payout; for paddy it's about ₹27,800 and for cotton over ₹30,000.
Since Punjab opted out of the central crop insurance scheme, most farmers don't have much financial backup as debts pile up.
Floods could hurt India's basmati rice exports
The floods could hurt India's basmati rice exports—a major business for the state—even though national food stocks are fine overall.
The Punjab government has asked for ₹20,000 crore in aid from the Center while PM Modi announced a $180 million relief package.
Experts say illegal sand mining and poor flood planning made things worse this year.