Patiala, May 3 -- In the highest single-day seasonal spike so far, Punjab on Saturday recorded 644 farm fire incidents, pushing the cumulative total to 2,403 between April 15 and May 2.

This is more than double the number of farm fire incidents reported during the same period last year.

According to the data released by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, Punjab had reported 1,044 incidents during the same period in 2025, while the count stood at 437 in 2024.

As per the available data, Sangrur has reported the highest number of farm fire cases so far, with 285 incidents, followed by Ferozepur at 275.

Punjab has also surpassed neighbouring Haryana in cumulative cases. With 476 incidents reported over the past ...