Harvest of hope

The concern over the depletion of groundwater in Punjab, attributed to its paddy-wheat cropping pattern, has seen a ray of hope with the state claiming to have shifted nearly 7.5 lakh acres from paddy to alternate crops while efforts are on to shift seven lakh acres more to crops like cotton, maize, fruits and vegetables. Agriculture has been the mainstay of Punjab’s economy but of late has been ridden with crisis on account of falling water table, use of pesticides and even suicides by farmers. The bountiful harvest helped tide away the problems caused by shortages, making the days when the country signed the PL-480 agreement with the US, a distant memory. But it also creates problems when supply exceeds demand and procurement agencies drag their feet.

Agriculture in Punjab has traditionally been limited to wheat and paddy. This crop cycle has created problems in the form of depletion of groundwater and soil degradation. Rice has been identified as the real problem crop in the state. The paddy season extends from June to September, a period when maximum monsoon precipitation takes place. Ironically, it is also the time when the water table drops. The state has seen days when the industries saw compulsory weekly holidays to help direct power to the farm sector. The cities got supply at night while power was diverted to the farm sector during the day. An estimated 26 lakh hectares is under rice cultivation in Punjab while the area under wheat is around 34 lakh hectares. Over ninety per cent of the paddy farmers have tube wells with free or subsidised power. Deepening the tube wells aggravated the problem. The canal water pricing has also been benign.

Crop diversification, therefore, comes as a right measure. But the government will have to ensure the transition in such a way that the subsistence of farmers does not get affected. Overall food grain requirement will have to be assessed and agri-marketing and pricing of alternate crops ensured. A rethink on power subsidy to those who do not actually need it is also warranted.