Deficient rainfall in June and fear of an outbreak of the Southern Rice Black-streaked Dwarf Virus (SRBSDV), locally known as the Fiji or dwarf virus, have slowed paddy transplantation across several districts of Haryana this season.
Farmers have delayed the sowing by 10 to 15 days to reduce the risk of an outbreak of the virus, while inadequate rainfall has further affected field preparations.
As per an official of the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department, only about 55-60 per cent of the targeted paddy area has been transplanted so far. During the same period in the previous years, around 70 per cent of the transplantation work had been completed.
The Haryana government has fixed a target of bringing 15.60 lakh hectares under paddy cultivation in 2026.
Karnal has been assigned the highest cultivation target of 1.85 lakh hectares, followed by Kaithal (1.65 lakh hectares), Jind (1.50 lakh hectares), Sirsa (1.45 lakh hectares), Fatehabad (1.35 lakh hectares), Kurukshetra (1.20 lakh hectares) and Hisar (1.05 lakh hectares). Other important paddy-growing districts include Yamunanagar, Ambala and Sonepat, each with a target of 90,000 hectares, the data said.
Farmers said they were cautious as the dwarf virus had severely affected early-transplanted paddy during the previous season. Although the official transplantation period began on June 15, many farmers waited until June 25 to start the process in the hope of avoiding the disease.
“We have deliberately postponed transplantation by 10-15 days to break the virus cycle,” said Rajinder Kumar, a farmer. He recalled that early-sown paddy varieties had suffered significant losses last year due to the dwarf disease.
Kewal, a farmer from Kaithal, said the shortage of rainfall during June also contributed to the delay. He explained that insufficient rain left many fields without the water needed for timely transplantation, forcing farmers to wait for better weather conditions.
Dr Wazir Singh, Deputy Director Agriculture (DDA), acknowledged that the scarcity of rainfall had slowed transplantation across the region. He maintained that fear of the dwarf disease was another important reason behind the delay.
“Agriculture Department has already conducted awareness campaigns to educate farmers about the virus and other crop diseases,” he added.
Dr Singh also advised farmers to use fertilizers judiciously and follow the recommendations of the Agriculture Department to maintain soil health and ensure better crop growth. The IMD has already predicted rainfall in a couple of days in different parts of the state, which gives a hope for pushing transplantation, while farmers continue taking precautions against disease outbreaks.
