An Analysis of State of Agriculture in Punjab

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 under High 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.