The agrarian crisis in Punjab has caught the attention of everyone in the country as well as the world for the simple reason that it is the ‘Granary of India’ and produces 20 per cent and nine per cent of India’s wheat and rice respectively. Punjab produces 2 million tonnes of wheat every year. The average area under wheat and paddy is 35 lakh hectares and 30 lakh hectares (including Basmati) respectively. Together, they account for 95% of Punjab’s total farm area.
Every student in India knows about the Green Revolution which was first introduced in Punjab and by 1970, the state was producing 70% of the country’s total food grains. Punjab is important to secure food security and it is time for crop diversification. For a long time wheat and paddy have sustained but for the future and keeping in mind the nutritional security growing diverse crops is essential.
The Punjab state has total geographical area of 5.03 million hectares out of which 4.20 million hectare is under cultivation(about 83%). The cropping intensity of Punjab is 189%. Agriculture is a way of life. More than 65% of its population depends directly on agriculture.
The state’s economy is mainly dominated by agricultural production and small and medium-sized enterprises. Punjab has the ninth highest ranking among Indian states and union territories in human development index as of 2018.Hence, Punjab agricultural produce is important.
B Com (Hons) 1st Year
