The fertility of the land is continuously being affected. The water level is going down. There are problems of environment and pollution. We are facing the change in the climate. Farmers are being buried under debt. Apart from this, the required investment in agricultural research is not increasing. Agricultural research has failed to provide farmers with alternative varieties of paddy that give the same profit. Due to which the area under paddy cultivation is increasing every year and it has now increased to 32 lakh hectares. This year, especially the problems of paddy residue and pollution arising from it are being faced. Agriculture is the basis of livelihood of 45 percent of the population of India and more than 49 percent of the population of Punjab. Industry and trade are also related to agriculture, the basis of which is also largely agriculture.
During the first vegetable revolution, agriculture did develop but it was not sustainable. Between 1980-85, the agricultural growth rate was higher than the growth rate of the country’s economy, but in 1997-98 it remained at 2 percent, while the growth rate of the country’s economy reached 8 percent. In 2002-03, India exported wheat. Then soon after this, in 2007-08, wheat was imported. After that, although the country became self-sufficient, it also started exporting food grains. Punjab made an effective contribution to the food security of the country, including Haryana. Agriculture is still the basis of development and bread for the majority. Although the contribution of agriculture in GDP has decreased from 51 percent to 17 percent. For economic security and balance and to reduce poverty and unemployment, there is a need for wise use of natural resources. 82 percent of the total geographical area of Punjab is under cultivation. There is no possibility of any increase in the cultivable area. The cultivated area has remained the same for the last several years. One good thing is that the area under cultivation in Punjab is 98.9 percent, while more than half of India is still rain-fed. In Punjab, due to burning of paddy residue and excessive use of fertilizers, the fertility of the land is decreasing. The stagnation in crop productivity has emerged as a serious problem, which needs to be stopped. There is also a need to save water. It should be used only as per the requirement. Punjab has been ahead in contributing to the central foodgrains, although states like Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have come out ahead in contributing wheat for some time now. Punjab can still make an effective contribution in bringing stability.
Seeds play an important role in increasing productivity. Due to increased awareness among farmers about seeds in the past years, wheat production touched 182 lakh tonnes and its contribution to the central grain reserve in the case of paddy has also been impressive and the state has been the leading state in the export of basmati. But this year it seems that there will be less use of new seeds by farmers. Due to difficulties faced in selling paddy to farmers through seed producers, farmer organizations and farmers’ fairs, the seeds of new varieties of wheat have been sold very less due to the decrease in production and the difficulty in selling paddy to farmers. The purchasing power of farmers regarding new seeds has been affected. The state’s major seed sellers Brar Seeds and Bhattal Seed Farm in Ludhiana did not sell even half the seeds as compared to previous years. According to reports received from some farmers, due to lack of purchasing power, they have used the wheat stored with them as seeds and sowed them. This is likely to further reduce production and productivity in the future. Other seed vendors in the state also say that they have seen very low sales of rabi seeds this year and they have unsold stocks of wheat seeds. They will now be forced to sell them as wheat in the market. There is a need for proper management and efficient planning in the use and distribution of new and successful varieties of seeds.
Farmers should make agriculture marketable and make it profitable as a business by achieving maximum productivity. They should adopt the business of agriculture to earn profit and increase income, not just for subsistence. More than 14.5 lakh tubewells are engaged in irrigation in the state and due to excessive use of water, the water table under the ground is getting low. The size of the fields is decreasing from generation to generation and due to inheritance laws. The majority of the farmers have less than 10 acres of land and one-third of the farmers do not even have 5 acres of land. The agricultural income of farmers from small-sized farms is very low. Small farmers who have taken land on lease are moving towards poverty. Punjab is a state of India. According to a World Bank report, 12.9 percent of the people of India are living on less than $ 2.15 per day. They are living their lives in a state of extreme poverty. About 57 percent of the population is being given free food grains under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana and other schemes. According to an estimate, wheat and rice-based food grains worth Rs 69108 crore do not reach these people. If this leakage is controlled, then this money can be spent on the welfare of farmers for the development of agriculture. The most important thing is to avoid the crisis through proper use of water. The use of laser land leveler should be started on a large scale. To achieve this, small farmers will need to be helped. This will save water and increase productivity. After laser land leveling, water is evenly distributed to the field and there is a balanced use of fertilizers and urea. The germination capacity of seeds increases, which subsequently increases the yield per hectare. Crop production can also be done by adopting bed planting method to save water. To increase the income of small farmers, they should be encouraged to plant vegetables in poly houses. They can earn a good living by producing vegetables.
