With the golden promise of harvests turning into a nightmare, hundreds of farmers across Punjab are reeling under the devastating impact of a viral disease that has stunted not only their paddy plants—but also their hopes, livelihoods, and trust in the support system. Despite assurances to compensate such farmers, the Punjab government is yet to announce the per-acre compensation in the affected fields. Dwarfing Disease, also called “Bouna Disease”, caused by the Southern Rice Black-Streaked Dwarf Virus (SRBSDV)—first detected in Punjab in 2022—has severely damaged around 11,000 acres across several districts, most notably in Patiala and Fatehgarh Sahib. Transmitted by the whitebacked planthopper (WBPH), the disease has returned with renewed aggression this season, attacking popular PR paddy varieties such as PR 131, PR 128, PR 132, and PR 126. Fields full of Green, but empty of grain, said Toni Singh, a small farmer from Faraur village in Fatehgarh Sahib. He rented 7 acres of land in addition to his own 2.5 acres, sowing the recommended PR 114 variety. He invested heavily—Rs. 60,000 per acre in rent, and Rs. 20,000 per acre on seeds, fertilizers, labour, and sprays—believing in the promise of a good yield. But just 45 days after sowing, the silent invader struck. “I found the plants looking healthy, but then they just stopped growing. The dwarfing disease took over. Now I won’t even get 2–3 quintals per acre,” he says, his voice breaking. “Even after spending Rs. 6,000 per acre on sprays, the crop could not be saved.” Toni has decided not to harvest the crop at all. “It will cost me Rs. 2,000 per acre just to harvest a failed crop. What’s the point?” He estimates a per-acre loss of over Rs. 1.2 lakh—around Rs. 72,000 in lost produce, Rs. 30,000 in rent, and another Rs. 20,000 in input costs. Across his 9.5 acres, that’s a staggering loss of over Rs. 11 lakh. “The government promotes these PR varieties, but when disaster strikes, no one comes—not even to survey our loss in our fields.” “I ploughed my dreams into this land. Now I’m ploughing them under,” said Toni, adding that such huge losses push farmers to take extreme steps. This is no isolated incident. Gurvinder Singh, a farmer from Bhapal village in Patiala, tells a similar tale. He cultivated PR 131 on 22 acres, PR 132on 3 acres, PR 126 on 31 acres and hybrid varities on four acres. “All fields with PR 131 and PR 132 varieties—gone. I’ve got less than 2 quintals per acre in some of these 25 fields. PR 126 had 50% losses in 10 acres,” he said. He added that in 2022, he faced a similar attack of dwarfing in PR 128 across 53 acres. Out of his 60 acres, only 12 acres are owned. The rest are on lease at the rate of Rs. 65,000 per acre annually. Yet, till date, he says, no official communication has been made about compensation. This year, Gurvinder had sown hybrid varieties like 7501 and PR 134 on 4 acres using DSR (direct seeding of rice) techniques—which showed no issues. However, his traditional sowing on around 35 acres has resulted in severe losses. With Rs. 65,000 per acre in rent, plus input costs, the financial burden, he says, is crushing. In village after village—Jansui (Patiala), Khabra (Ropar), and Faraur (Fatehgarh Sahib)—farmers are reporting yields as low as 2–3 quintals per acre, against the expected 30–32 quintals. In many cases, fields are being ploughed under without harvesting, just to prepare for the next crop—an act of defeat, but also of resilience. SRBSDV causes visible stunting, upright narrow leaves, and shallow roots. Infected plants stop growing, remain abnormally short, and often die prematurely. While the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and the Department of Agriculture have issued advisories, for many farmers, it's been too little, too late. “Not a single officer has stepped into my field to assess the damage,” says Toni Singh. “We don’t matter because our crop wasn’t drowned—it just died standing.” The affected farmers are not asking for sympathy—they are demanding fairness and justice. “These PR varieties are promoted by the government. Shouldn’t they also take responsibility when the promoted seeds fail due to disease?” asks Gurvinder Singh. Many farmers say they are now hesitant to grow PR varieties again—despite their previous popularity—because of repeated outbreaks. They have demanded a dedicated compensation package for farmers affected by dwarfing disease, based on transparent loss surveys, and have urged the government to classify the disease as a natural calamity under disaster relief norms. “This is killing us, economically and emotionally,” said a farmer Gurpreet Singh from Khabra village. “When the crop fails on this scale, it should be declared a disaster.” Director, Punjab Agriculture Department, Jaswant Singh, said that surveys have been conducted and the government is in the process of ‘Special Girdawari’ to finalise relief.
