An Analysis of State of Agriculture in Punjab

Sarbjeet Singh¹*, Simranjeet Singh², Sukhram Sing²

¹Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Punjabi University, Patiala-147002 (Punjab)

²Research Scholar, Department of Economics, Punjabi University, Patiala-147002 (Punjab)

*Corresponding Author Email: drsarbjeetsingh@gmail.com

ABSTRACT:

The present study is an effort to highlight the changes in agrarian pattern in Punjab during 1960-61 to 2016-17, which analyses the changes in area, production and productivity of major crops, area underHigh Yielding Varieties (HYVs) of seeds, mechanisation, use of chemical fertilisers, crop-wise procurement prices, contribution of rice and wheat to the central pool. Green Revolution has made major changes in the cropping pattern of Punjab. Only paddy and wheat became the two major crops of the State, because these crops show lower fluctuations in production and yield as well as fetch comparatively better prices so that farmers have more or less assured returns from these crops. As a result, paddy which was cultivated only on 4.80 per cent of total cropped area in 1960-61, registered steep rise to 38.77 per cent in 2016-17. Similarly, area under wheat increased from 29.59 per cent of total cropped area in 1960-61 to 44.33 per cent in 2016-17, whereas area under cultivation of sugarcane, cotton, maize, pulses and oil-seeds has been sharply declined after the Green Revolution in Punjab because of inadequate marketing system and price support policy for these crops.

KEYWORDS: Cropping Pattern, Area, Production, Productivity and Mechanisation.

INTRODUCTION:

The Green Revolution was India’s first industrial agricultural revolution, which replaced the traditional farming system completely and resulted in a rapid growth of food grains production with the introduction of new packages of High Yielding Varieties (HYVs) of seeds, mechanical instruments and petrochemical inputs. It was the first time when modern capital intensive agriculture was introduced in India, which replaced the traditional one (Dutta, 2012). Punjab agriculture had made rapid strides since independence.

After reorganisation of Punjab State in 1966, which was incidentally coincided with the advent of new agriculture technology, there is progress in agriculture of the State (Sidhu, 2005). The State played its historical role in the transformation of feudal mode of production into the capitalistic mode of production. In the initial period of Green Revolution, government of India provided necessary incentives to encourage the farmers for adopting HYVs of seeds and new agriculture technology (Singh and Singh, 2015)

During the late 1980s, the momentum of the Green Revolution could not be sustained in the State because there was stagnation in yield of principle crops accompanied by increasing costs of cultivation (Singh, 2000). After two decades of growth, the Green Revolution began losing its charm and was followed by a series of crisis. Since 1980s, the word ‘crisis’ become the dominant mode of representing Punjab and become a political issue in the State (Johdka, 2006).

At present, condition of Punjab economy is much worse than what it appears at the first sight. Profit margins of the farmers have come dawn drastically (Sidhu, 2002). After the introduction of Green Revolution in Punjab, the peasants are completely subordinated to market, on which they are dependent for both their personal consumption, farming inputs and sale of agricultural output (Singh and Singh, 2015). The landed class found their economic position to be more strengthened whereas the poor farmers with uneconomic holdings and landless class became more marginalised and proletarianised. The unusual tradition of reverse tenancy is the one of the adverse consequences of the Green Revolution (Dutta, 2012). The process of depeasantisation in Punjab began since 1990s and gathered momentum since 2000. More than 2 lakh small and marginal farmers have left farming due to economic distress (Singh et al., 2009).

In the initial stage, Green Revolution in Punjab was confined to wheat only because traditionally Punjab was not a rice producing State. But after few years, new high yielding varieties of rice also became popular with the farmers (Sidhu, 2005). Today, Punjab is at the cross-roads and in fact, has turned away from the path of sustainable development, as its existing production and market system are not sustainable (Johl, 2002). The adoption of water intensive crops such as paddy was the outcome of the relative higher prices and availability of the two resources, land and water. It can now be seen that it has a social cost in terms of over-use of water (Chopra, 1990). Water has been used highly inefficiently in Punjab agriculture. In the mid-1980s, there was wastage of water to the extent of 30 per cent. Out of the total 138 blocks, 90 development blocks of Punjab have been declared ‘black’ as water table is lowering at an alarming rate in these areas (Singh, 2004).

The slowdown in the process of cropping-pattern change indicates that the most of the government efforts to diversify Punjab agriculture have been failed to take-off and State has only mono-cropping pattern of agriculture (Bhalla and Singh, 2009). Punjab is facing agrarian distress in the form of indebtedness, suicides by farmers and agricultural labourers, stagnation in production/productivity of principle crops and at alarming scale environmental degradation in the form of depleting air, soil and water level in the State. In the present study, an attempt has been made to analyse the changes in agricultural structures in Punjab over the time period. The main objectives of the present study are:

i. To analyse the changes in area, production and productivity of principal crops in Punjab.

ii. To study the changes in area under HYVs of seeds, mechanisation and use of chemical fertilisers in Punjab.

iii. To examine the changes in crop-wise procurement prices and contribution of rice and wheat to the central pool by Punjab.

METHODOLOGY:

The present study is based on secondary data, which has been collected from different sources such as reports, journals, books, article, websites etc. The time period for the present study has been taken from 1960-61 to 2016-17 for analysing the state of agricultural in Punjab.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

This section deals with the changes in area, production and productivity, area under HYVs of seeds, mechanisation and use of chemical fertilisers crop-wise procurement prices and contribution of rice and wheat to the central pool by Punjab

I. Changes in area, production and productivity:

After the introduction of new agriculture technology in north-western States of India, Punjab represented the success story of India’s Green Revolution and become most agriculturally developed State in the country. But after some time, Punjab agricultural development path started fluctuating continuously and now started declining.

Green Revolution has made major changes in the cropping pattern of Punjab. The mono-cropping pattern of agriculture came into existence when only Paddy and wheat become the two major crops of the State. As a result, more than three-fourths of the total cropped area in Punjab was occupied by these two crops alone. Table 1 highlights the changes in the cropping pattern in Punjab. Paddy which was cultivated only on 4.80 per cent of total cropped area in 1960-61, registered a steep rise to 35.90 per cent in 2010-11 and further increased to 38.77 per cent of total cropped area in 2016-17. Similarly, area under wheat increased from 29.59 per cent in 1960-61 to 44.53 per cent in 2010-11 and remained 44.33 per cent to total cropped area of the State in 2016-17. On the other hand, area under sugarcane, maize, pulses and oil-seeds has been fallen rapidly. However, cotton continues to be grown, but the area under cotton cultivation had been decreasing sharply since 2000-01. The area under potatoes continuously registered slow increase, as 0.18 per cent in 1960-61 to 0.82 per cent in 2010-11 and further 1.17 per cent total of cropped area in 2016-17. The share of pulses in total cropped area has been sharply declined from 19.09 per cent in 1960-61 to 0.25 per cent in 2016-17.

Table 1: Changes in Area of Principal Crops in Punjab

(Thousand Hectares)

Years

Paddy

Wheat

Sugarcane

Potatoes

Cotton

Maize

Pulses

Oil-seeds

Other*

Total

1960-61

227

(4.80)

1400

(29.59)

133

(2.81)

8.7

(0.18)

447

(9.45)

327

(6.91)

903

(19.09)

185

(3.91)

1100

(23.25)

4730.7

(100.00)

1970-71

390

(6.87)

2299

(40.49)

128

(2.25)

16.9

(0.30)

397

(6.99)

555

(9.77)

414

(7.29)

295

(5.20)

1183

(20.84)

5677.9

(100.00)

1980-81

1183

(17.49)

2812

(41.58)

(1.05)

39.7

(0.59)

649

(9.60)

382

(5.65)

341

(5.04)

238

(3.52)

1047

(15.48)

6762.7

(100.00)

1990-91

2015

(26.86)

3273

(43.63)

101

(1.35)

23.1

(0.31)

701

(9.34)

188

(2.51)

143

(1.91)

104

(1.39)

954

(12.72)

7502.1

(100.00)

2000-01

2612

(32.89)

3408

(42.92)

121

(1.52)

59.6

(0.75)

474

(5.97)

165

(2.08)

(0.68)

(1.08)

961

(12.10)

7940.6

(100.00)

2010-11

2830

(35.90)

3510

(44.53)

(0.89)

64.4

(0.82)

483

(6.13)

133

(1.69)

(0.25)

(0.71)

716

(9.08)

7882.4

(100.00)

2016-17

3033

(38.77)

3468

(44.33)

(1.12)

(1.17)

285

(3.64)

118

(1.50)

(0.25)

(0.53)

678

(8.66)

7823

(100.00)

Source: Statistical Abstract of Punjab, Various Issues

Note: Figures given in parentheses indicate percentages.

Table 2: Changes in the Production of Principal Crops in Punjab

(IThousand Metric Tonnes)

Years

Paddy

Wheat

Sugarcane*

Potatoes

Cotton

Maize

Pulses

Oil-seeds

Others

Total

1960-61

229

(5.70)

1742

(43.35)

486

(12.10)

129

(3.21)

120

(2.99)

371

(9.23)

709

(17.65)

121

(3.01)

111

(2.76)

4018

(100.00)

1970-71

688

(8.16)

5145

(61.05)

527

(6.25)

216

(2.56)

147

(1.74)

861

(10.22)

308

(3.65)

233

(2.76)

303

(3.60)

8428

(100.00)

1980-81

3233

(24.01)

7677

(57.01)

392

(2.91)

767

(5.70)

200

(1.49)

612

(4.54)

204

(1.51)

187

(1.39)

195

(1.45)

13467

(100.00)

1990-91

6506

(31.45)

12159

(58.77)

601

(2.90)

453

(2.19)

324

(1.57)

333

(1.61)

105

(0.51)

(0.45)

115

(0.56)

20689

(100.00)

2000-01

9157

(33.23)

15551

(56.43)

777

(2.82)

1166

(4.23)

204

(0.74)

461

(1.67)

(0.14)

(0.32)

114

(0.41)

27557

(100.00)

2010-11

10833

(34.20)

16472

(52.01)

417

(1.32)

1609

(5.08)

309

(0.98)

491

(1.55)

(0.05)

(0.23)

1452

(4.58)

31673

(100.00)

2016-17

12638

(37.00)

17636

(51.64)

558

(1.63)

2365

(6.92)

389

(1.13)

445

(1.30)

(0.03)

(0.16)

(0.14)

34149

(100.00)

Source: Statistical Abstract of Punjab, Various Issues

Note: *Production of sugarcane in terms of gur.

Figures given in parentheses indicate percentages.

The production of maize was 9.23 per cent of total production of the State in 1960-61. It slightly increased to 10.22 per cent in 1970-71, but after that its production had been declining continuously and remained only 1.30 per cent of the total production in 2016-17. The percentage share of cotton production has been continuously declining after 1960-61 and remained only 1.13 per cent to total production in 2016-17. The reason behind the continuously declining production of cotton was the pest attacks on new HYVs of seeds. The results show that pulses and oil-seeds, those were dominating the Punjab agricultural production before the advent of Green Revolution but lost their importance over the period of time. In the post-Green Revolution period, production of rice and wheat has been increased very sharply. The Minimum Support Price (MSP) given by the government procurement agencies is the main driving force behind the publicity of rice-wheat monoculture among the farmers. State sponsored new agricultural policy totally ignored the other crops such as pulses, vegetables, oil-seeds etc. in the post-Green Revolution period.

After more than six decades of the adoption of new agricultural strategy, with its obsession with grains and exclusion of other food and cash crops, agrarian economy of Punjab is in deep crisis. In the meantime, the food scenario at the national level has been completely changed from the food shortages of mid-1960s to the burgeoning surpluses since late 1990s. In this changed scenario, wheat-paddy dominated agrarian economy of Punjab is becoming economically as well as ecologically non-sustainable and the State is being treated as it has become a liability for the nation (Sidhu, 2002). If the market becomes the major institution for determining the direction of development, the resources that are not priced by it, will be overused (Chopra, 1990).

Table 3 highlights that the yield per-hectare of principle crops i.e., wheat and paddy has been increased almost four times in the time period of 1960-61to 2016-17. The production of paddy increased from 1009 kg/ha. in 1960-61 to 4149 kg/ha. in 2016-17. Similarly, the productivity of wheat also has been increased from 1244 kg./ha. in 1960-61 to 4693 kg./ha. in 2010-11 and further to 5046 kg/ha. in 2016-17. The productivity of sugarcane was 3654 kg/ha. in 1960-61, but grown to 5952 in 2010-11 and further increased to 7670 kg/ha. in 2016-17. The productivity of maize was 1135 kg/ha. in 1960-61, which sharply increased to 3835 kg/ha. in 2016-17. On the other hand, productivity of cotton is continuously fluctuating, which was 270 kg/ha. in 1960-61, 350 kg/ha. in 1970-71, decreased to 309 kg/ha. in 1980-81 and further increased to 760 kg/ha. in 2016-17. The main reasons of increase in productivity are the use of new HYVs of seeds, chemical fertilisers, pesticides, irrigation facilities, mechanisation etc.

Table 3: Changes in Yield Per-Hectare of Principal Crops in Punjab

(Kilograms)

Years	Paddy	Wheat	Sugarcane*	Potatoes	Cotton	Maize
1960-61	1009	1244	3654	14805	270	1135
1970-71	1765	2238	4117	12752	350	1555
1980-81	2733	2730	5526	19287	309	1602
1990-91	3229	3715	5941	19863	463	1786
2000-01	3506	4563	6425	19563	430	2793
2010-11	3828	4693	5952	24988	641	3415
2016-17	4149	5046	7670	25826	760	3835
CAGR	26.57	26.29	13.1	9.72	18.83	22.50

Source: Statistical Abstract of Punjab, Various Issues

Note: *Production of sugarcane in terms of gur.

After the Green Revolution, the farmers of Punjab have abandoned their traditional cropping practices and adopted the government-supported wheat-rice cropping pattern. However, this is causing degradation of soil including nutrient imbalance, depletion of underground water table (upto 75 cm per year), abuse of pesticides and fertilisers leading to several environmental and health hazards and creating the economic and social imbalances (Tiwana et al., 2007), which requires the immediate attention of government, policy makers, researchers, NGOs, as well as all stakeholders.

II. Changes in area under HYVs of seeds, mechanisation and use of chemical fertilisers:

Agricultural development in Punjab was accompanied by massive investments in agricultural machinery and HYVs of seeds as well as in the form of inputs such as fertilisers, pesticides, insecticides etc. at large scale (Gill and Ghuman, 2001). When high yielding varieties of seeds, which were short duration in nature, have been used in this system of cultivation, inter-cultures have to be carried out in quick succession and this will not possible unless farmers have adopted sophisticated technology (Raghavan, 2008).

Table 4 shows that the area under wheat of high yielding varieties have been sharply increased from 621 thousand hectares in 1967-68 to 3520 thousand hectares in 2010-11 and marginally decreased to 3495 thousand hectares in 2016-17. Similarly, the area under rice of high yielding varieties sharply increased from 17 thousand hectares in 1967-68 to 3046 thousand hectares in 2016-17. Area under maize of high yielding varieties was 29 thousand hectares in 1967-68 and grown up to 160 thousand hectares in 1990-91, but fallen down to 129 thousand hectares in 2010-11 but further increased to 144 thousand hectares in 2016-17. Area under bajra of HYVs increased from 51 thousand hectares in 1967-68 to 126 thousand hectares in 1970-71, but it decreased to only 3 thousand hectares in 2010-11 and further declined to 1.2 thousand hectares in 2016-17.

The analysis of area under HYVs of seeds highlights that area under wheat and rice has been sharply increased since 1970-71whereas, on the other hand, area under bajra of high yielding varieties has been continuously decreased over the time period. The beginning period of Green Revolution was based on the introduction of new HYVs of seeds. These new seeds became the main driving force behind the success of Green Revolution.

Table 4: Area of Major Food Crops under High Yielding Varieties of seeds in Punjab (Thousand Hectares)

Years	Wheat	Rice	Maize	Bajra
1967-68	621	17	29	51
1970-71	1589	130	49	126
1980-81	2757	1095	127	34
1990-91	3271	1906	160	11
2000-01	3408	2506	154	5
2010-11	3520	2830	129	3
2016-17	3495	3046	144	1.2

Source: Statistical Abstract of Punjab, Various Issues

During the early phase of the Green Revolution, from 1962-65 to 1970-73, the new HYVs of seeds were more or less confined to Punjab, Haryana and some districts of Western Uttar Pradesh (Bhalla and Singh, 2001) but later on extended to other states. The new Borlaug seed-fertiliser technology introduced in the mid-1960s made a major impact on raising yield and output levels of some crops and aggregate output in Punjab (Bhalla and Singh, 2012).

In terms of the use of modern machinery, Punjab agriculture has achieved remarkable progress since the introduction of new agricultural technology. Table 5 highlights that the use of agricultural machinery in the State is quite large. The total number of tractors in the State increased from 5281 in 1970-71 to 405000 in 2000-01 and further increased to 472179 in 2014-15. Similarly, the total number of tube-wells and pump-sets sharply increased from 1.92 lakh in 1970-71 to 13.82 lakh in 2010-11 and further to 14.06 lakh in 2014-15.

The number of threshers in the State jumped from 35000 in 1970-71 to 740000 lakh in 2010-11 but declined to 370000 lakh in 2014-15. The number of self-propelled harvester combines sharply increased from 190 in 1980-81 to 7308 in 2014-15. On the other side, the number of tractor-driven harvester combines went up from 330 in 1980-81 to 8130 in 2010-11 and fell down to 4030 in 2014-15. One of the important effects of new agriculture technology on Punjab agriculture is the mechanisation at the large scale. The introduction of new cropping, less time period between the crops and the farming on modern capitalist lines made the Punjab agriculture as biggest mechanised State of the country.

Table 5: Mechanisation in Punjab Agriculture

(Numbers)

Years	Total No. of Tube Wells (in lakh)	Total No. of Tractors	Threshers	Harvester Combines
Years	Total No. of Tube Wells (in lakh)	Total No. of Tractors	Threshers	Self-propelled	Tractor-driven
1970-71	1.92	5281	35000	--	--
1980-81	6.00	118845	125000	190	330
1990-91	8.00	289064	297000	1810	2950
2000-01	10.73	405000	250000	3030	5220
2010-11	13.82	434000	740000	6056	8130
2014-15	14.06	472179	370000	7308	4030

Source: Statistical Abstract of Punjab, Various Issues; Agriculture At a Glance 2017-18

Table 6: Use of Chemical Fertilisers in Punjab

(Thousand Nutrients Tonnes)

Years	Nitrogenous (N)	Phosphatic (P2O5)	Potassic (K2O)	Total (NPK)	Consumption of Chemical Fertilisers (kg/ha)	Consumption of Insecticides/ Pesticides (Technical Grade M.T.)
1960-61	5	--	--	5	--	--
1970-71	175	31	7	213	37.50	--
1980-81	526	207	29	762	112.50	3200
1990-91	877	328	15	1220	162.60	6500
2000-01	1008	282	23	1313	168.33	6970
2010-11	1403	435	73	1911	243	5600
2016-17	1458	411	48	1917	245	5721

Sources: Statistical Abstract of Punjab, Various Issues; Agriculture At A Glance, 2017-18

With the introduction of HYVs of seeds in the mid-sixties, the farmers realised that assured supply of water is a pre-requisite for the adoption of new seeds and higher doses of fertilisers to get to an optimum point on the production surface. Without the mechanical inputs, proper benefits of new seeds, fertilisers and other chemicals could not be ensured. Irrigation was mechanised on high priority basis and there was a phenomenonal growth of electric motors and diesel engines which represents the most valuable development in the use of mechanical inputs (Kahlon, 1984). The force behind commercialisation was so strong that it led the farmers, not only big landlords but also small and marginal to shift towards market oriented agriculture. The commercialisation of agriculture has come in force, as the Punjab State taking a leap forward in terms of irrigation, use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides, HYVs of seeds, mechanisation etc. and making agriculture an expensive affair. This transformation in agriculture resulted into the emergence of new set of problems in the State (Pathak, 2015).

III. Changes in crop-wise procurement prices and contribution of rice and wheat to the central pool by Punjab:

The State sponsored procurement prices of different crops are one of the major reasons responsible for changes in the cropping pattern in Punjab. Because after the introduction of new agricultural technology, Punjab agriculture entered in the commercialised market system, in which all decisions about cropping pattern are guided by the surety in the procurement prices and government supported market system. Table 7 deals with changes in procurement prices for rice, wheat, sugarcane and cotton, which highlights that these prices are continuously increasing but at a different rate. The procurement price for rice was Rs. 51 per quintal in 1970-71, which jumped to Rs. 1000 in 2010-11 and further grown up to Rs. 1625 in 2016-17.

Table 7: Crop-Wise Procurement Prices in the State of Punjab

(Rs. Per quintal)

Years	Rice	Wheat	Sugarcane	Cotton
1970-71	51.00	76.00	--	--
1980-81	105.00	117.00	13.00 (23 to 25)	304.00
1990-91	205.00	215.00	22.00 (42 to 46)	620.00
2000-01	510.00	580.00	59.50 (96 to 100)	1625.00
2010-11	1000	1170.00	139.10 (200/195/190)	2500-3000
2016-17	1625	1470-1510	(295/290/285)	3860-4100

Source: Statistical Abstract of Punjab, Various Issues

Note: Figures within the brackets under sugarcane are prices actually paid by the State government.

Similarly, the procurement price for wheat was Rs. 76 per quintal in 1970-71, which increased to 1170 in 2010-11 and further rose to Rs. 1470-1510 in 2016-17. The success of State sponsored Green Revolution is considered in the assured MSP system of the government, which is favouring and forcing the farming community to grow some specific crops in Punjab.

Sharma (2019) has given a comparative analysis of the increase in MSP of wheat and salary of different sections of government employees. In 1970, the MSP of wheat was Rs. 76 per quintal, which grown up to Rs. 1450 per quintal in 2015, an increase of 19 times. For government employees, the increase in salary was 120 to 350 times. If only the MSP of wheat was raised in the same proportion, which means if it has gone up let’s say 100 times in 45-years period, farmers should have received at least Rs. 7600 per quintal. In other words, they are the farmers who are bearing the cost of subsidising the consumers. Keeping the food prices are low, conveniently passed the burden on to the farmers. Mann (2017) in his study on changes in cropping pattern in Punjab highlighted that although an increase in the MSP of other crops such as gram, rapeseeds, arhar (tur), mustard, groundnut, sunflower, cotton and moong was greater than the increase in the MSP of paddy and wheat for the same period, but still the area under wheat and rice expanded due to the assured procurement and higher yields of these crops. In the recent times, although there is major increase in the MSP of pulses, but there is negligible interest on the part of the farmers in adopting pulses, because of the absence of marketing of these crops and their low yield levels.

Table 8: Contribution of Wheat and Rice to the Central Pool by Punjab

(Lakh Tonnes)

	Rice		Wheat
Years	Contribution to the central pool	Percentage share to the central pool	Contribution to the central pool	Percentage share to the central pool
1970-71	--	16	--	74
1980-81	25.2	45.3	42.8	73.0
1990-91	48.2	41.0	67.5	61.0
2000-01	69.4	33.3	94.2	57.6
2010-11	86.3	25.3	102.1	45.2
2016-17	110.52	29.0	106.49	46.4

Source: Statistical Abstract of Punjab, Various Issues

Table 8 highlights that the contribution of rice and wheat of Punjab State to the central pool (in lakh tonnes) has increased over the period of time. On the other hand, the percentage share to the central pool is decreasing after 1990s. The results indicate that Punjab contributed 25.2 lakh tonnes of rice and 42.8 lakh tonnes of wheat to central pool in 1980-81, which accounted for 45.3 per cent and 73.0 per cent share to the central pool respectively. The contribution of these two crops further increased to 110.52 lakh tonnes of rice and 106.49 lakh tonnes of wheat in 2016-17 which accounted for 29.0 per cent and 46.4 per cent share respectively. After independence, the main task for the central government was to gain self-sufficiency in food-crops and that is the main reason for the promotion of new agriculture technology in north-western region of India or particularly in Punjab.

In the decade of 1980s, the production of rice and wheat was started in some other States and it is the reason behind the decline in percentage share of Punjab to the central pool. The critical reliance on Punjab’s rice and wheat production for the India’s food self-sufficiency is declining because of the increased production of these food crops in other States of India. Punjab has lost its position because of the stagnation in agriculture production and productivity and decline in the income of farmer and agricultural labour households.

CONCLUDING REMARKS:

In nutshell, since 1960-61, Punjab agriculture has faced many changes in agrarian structure on a very large scale. The study revealed that the cropping pattern in the State is concentrated on the production of two crops mainly wheat and rice because of lower fluctuations in yields and they fetch comparatively better prices so that farmers have more or less assured returns from these crops, therefore the area under wheat and paddy cultivation and their production has increased. On the other hand, area under cultivation of sugarcane, cotton, maize, pulses and oil-seeds has sharply declined after the Green Revolution in Punjab, because of lack of adequate marketing system and price-support policy for these crops. In the context of yield per hectare, the Punjab agriculture has shown positive results after the introduction of Green Revolution. The production of sugarcane, maize, pulses and oil-seeds has also been increased, because of increase in their yield per hectare over the period of time, unless their area has sharply declined.

The use of high yielding varieties of seeds, with intensive use of inputs gave rise to pest problems in Punjab agriculture. Crops like paddy, cotton and vegetables have shown greater dependence on pesticides and insecticides. Over-mechanisation and heavy investment in Punjab agriculture has transformed the traditional agriculture into commercial. The slow process of diversification and rice-wheat mono-cropping pattern became one of the main reasons responsible for stagnation in Punjab agriculture. Punjab rural-economy has experienced very large scale changes since the adoption of new economic policy. It also changed economic, social and cultural system at village level. The need of the hour is progressive land reforms in favour of landless, small and marginal farmers, which will be helpful to increase their farm income and production (Singh et al., 2017). The success of diversification depends upon the adequate marketing system, therefore the government should have to make and implement the suitable price policy for more crops. The State should also encourage organic farming to decrease input costs and to tackle the environmental degradation problems faced by Punjab. Punjab paid the price for the new agriculture technology and State-sponsored Green Revolution in the form of class struggle, indebtedness, farmers and agricultural labourers suicides, environmental degradation and depleting water resources at large scale. Therefore, there is an urgent need on the part of the central as well as State government to come up with some concrete policies and initiatives to solve the problems of Punjab agriculture in general and farming community and agricultural labour households in particular.

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Received on 22.05.2019 Modified on 05.06.2019

Res. J. Humanities and Social Sciences. 2019; 10(3):767-774.

DOI: 10.5958/2321-5828.2019.00126.8