Although Punjab is known for filling the stomachs of the entire country, in recent times, the rush to earn money has made the wheat produced in Punjab so poisonous that Punjabis are now preferring to import wheat from other states instead of Punjab, while many farmers are now sowing wheat separately for their own consumption so that they can avoid terrible diseases by producing poison-free wheat. In Punjab, for the last few years, there has been a trend of increasing the yield of crops instead of the quality of any crop, in which the biggest contribution is being made by companies selling medicines. In the greed for yield, farmers are being given D. A. P. and urea fertilizers as well as many other types of unnecessary medicines. The scope of incurable diseases is constantly increasing in Punjab due to adulteration and poisoned food. In the past, the government had promised to pay farmers higher prices than usual and had also started pilot projects for the production of pesticide-free crops, but like every time, the government’s reneging on its promises disappointed the farmers and they again became beggars of the same stripe.
Meanwhile, although the Agriculture Department from time to time gives an order to provide the required quantity of fertilizers and medicines as per the recommendations of the Agricultural University, Ludhiana, most of the farmers are in less contact with the Agriculture Department and more with the dealers (drug sellers), which is having a direct impact on human lives. Keeping in mind the health of themselves and their families, some conscious farmers of the state are now planting wheat and paddy separately for their household consumption, in which fertilizers and medicines are being used minimally. At the same time, those who do not have their own land are ordering wheat for their consumption from states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, for which advance booking is already being done. The argument being given for this is that the quality of wheat produced in these states is better than that of Punjab. Even for grinding the wheat that is being planted separately and imported from outside, flour is being prepared as per the requirement by installing electric machines in homes so that the wheat from the market mills does not get mixed with their flour while grinding it. Apart from this, in some areas of Punjab, many farmers are also producing black wheat and black paddy under the pretext of sugar-free.
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has talked about bringing reforms in the agriculture sector. He said that chemical farming is harmful due to which the farmers of Punjab sell their sown crop to others but do not use it themselves. Tomar said that the trend of using chemicals and pesticides will have to be changed by adopting natural methods.
Agricultural scientist Ranjit Singh Ghuman says that
Punjab’s agricultural model was developed primarily with the goal of growing more food grains to feed millions of people, which was very successful in this purpose and due to this the country got rid of the problem of food shortage. In this process, Punjab overused its natural resources to such an extent that its soil health deteriorated and groundwater dried up. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides and herbicides have polluted its air and water. Wheat used by Punjabis is destroying the health of Punjab as it is toxic. Therefore, it is very important that under the policy, maximum attention is given to sustainable development of agriculture, restoration of soil health, diversity of crops and water conservation. They say that due to excessive use of pesticides, such breeds of insects have been created that are not affected by chemicals, the conclusion is that the farmer keeps increasing the quantity of the same chemical but the problem keeps increasing.
