The cold wave and dense fog gripping North India are now severely impacting standing crops, especially potatoes and mustard in parts of Haryana and Rajasthan. Prolonged ground frost and biting cold at a critical stage of growth have raised fears of sharp yield losses, directly affecting farmers' income and potentially pushing up food prices by February.
Potato farmers say the crop has suffered continuous weather-related damage this season. Earlier rainfall weakened plants, and now extreme cold has affected tuber formation in the soil, reducing overall production.
Malkit Singh, a potato farmer from Kaithal, told NDTV, “Earlier, the yield used to be 150 quintals of potatoes per acre, but this time due to cold it will remain between 75 to 100 quintals.”
He said that while potatoes were damaged earlier by rainfall, they are now suffering due to the cold. He added that previously, heat had hindered proper potato growth, and now, the extreme cold is preventing the tubers from forming altogether.
“We are also not getting the benefit of the government's Bhavantar scheme,” Singh said. “I have harvested the first potato crop in which I have suffered a loss of Rs 20,000 per acre. The government should think about us. For good potato yield, at least four bags of DAP fertiliser are required, whereas for wheat, even one bag of DAP is sufficient.”
Farmers say reduced output combined with high input costs has made this season particularly difficult. Mustard farmers are also witnessing visible damage in their fields. Due to dense fog and severe cold, mustard flowers are wilting and pod formation has either slowed or stopped. In many plants, seeds have shrunk or failed to develop properly, indicating a likely yield loss of 25 to 30 per cent.
“Due to the cold, mustard pods are looking very thin, because of which a loss of 20 to 25 percent is visible,” Ramsharan, a mustard farmer from Kaithal, told NDTV. “Due to the cold, the pods are very weak. I have seen this for the first time. This time, there will be a loss of at least Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000.”
Agriculture officials say extreme cold affects the growth capacity of crops and can worsen losses if conditions continue. Dr Surender, Deputy Director, Agriculture, said, “Due to excessive cold, the growth capacity of crops reduces. Farmers should carry out light irrigation. Because of extreme cold, the chances of seed shrinkage increase significantly.”
Experts warn that lower mustard production could lead to a rise in mustard oil prices, while losses in potato output may impact overall vegetable prices.
The India Meteorological Department has issued yellow and red alerts for cold wave conditions in several regions. IMD senior scientist Naresh Kumar told NDTV, "There is no western disturbance over northwest India, and cold winds are incoming from the Himalayas with a vertical extension of 5-6 km. Thus, the temperatures are much lower than normal."
