1 Introduction
Punjab made a commendable progress in the production of food grains in the
post-green revolution period. Food grain production underwent a big jump from
3.16 million tons in 1960–1961 to 28.90 million tons in 2013–4. The green revolution also known as the new agricultural strategy was marked with the arrival of
new high-yielding varieties (HYV) of wheat, rice, maize, and bajra (millet) and
package of other inputs like chemical fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides, and
assured irrigation facilities. Focusing on popularizing modern inputs and practices
in the productive areas where the likelihood was more for the high-yielding seeds to
show results was the most important feature of this new strategy. Punjab with
requisite irrigation and infrastructure facilities became a major beneficiary of this
national strategy and has been shown as a showpiece of India’s successful green
revolution strategy. Short duration and HYV of rice and wheat were introduced in
Punjab to boost up the production of food grains. During the first decade of the
green revolution, the technology was confined only to the wheat crop. A remarkable
growth rate of 5 % was achieved by the state’s agricultural sector since the
beginning of the green revolution in the mid-1960s.
The decade from the mid-1970s to mid-1980s was characterized by the extension of new seed fertilizer technology from wheat to rice crop. Due to the input and
output price structure and superior yields of rice and wheat as compared to other
crops, Punjab agriculture has virtually become a rice–wheat monoculture. During
1966–67, total area under rice was 0.29 million ha, which increased to 2.85 million ha by 2013–14. There was also a substantial increase in the average rice
productivity, which increased from 1186 kg/ha in 1966–67 to 3952 kg/ha by 2013–
14 (Fig. 1). During the same period, the area under wheat crop increased from 1.61
to 3.51 million ha and productivity from 1544 to 4848 kg/ha. Punjab has achieved
a crop intensity of 191 % as against 138 in the country as a whole. The present level
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
1970-71 1980-81 1990-91 2000-01 2005-06 2009-10 2012-13 2013-14
Productivity (kg/ha)
Year
Productivity of major crops in Punjab
Rice
Wheat
Maize
Cotton
Fig. 1 Productivity of major crops in Punjab
508
P. Kumar
Punjab made a commendable progress in the production of food grains in the
post-green revolution period. Food grain production underwent a big jump from
3.16 million tons in 1960–1961 to 28.90 million tons in 2013–4. The green revolution also known as the new agricultural strategy was marked with the arrival of
new high-yielding varieties (HYV) of wheat, rice, maize, and bajra (millet) and
package of other inputs like chemical fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides, and
assured irrigation facilities. Focusing on popularizing modern inputs and practices
in the productive areas where the likelihood was more for the high-yielding seeds to
show results was the most important feature of this new strategy. Punjab with
requisite irrigation and infrastructure facilities became a major beneficiary of this
national strategy and has been shown as a showpiece of India’s successful green
revolution strategy. Short duration and HYV of rice and wheat were introduced in
Punjab to boost up the production of food grains. During the first decade of the
green revolution, the technology was confined only to the wheat crop. A remarkable
growth rate of 5 % was achieved by the state’s agricultural sector since the
beginning of the green revolution in the mid-1960s.
The decade from the mid-1970s to mid-1980s was characterized by the extension of new seed fertilizer technology from wheat to rice crop. Due to the input and
output price structure and superior yields of rice and wheat as compared to other
crops, Punjab agriculture has virtually become a rice–wheat monoculture. During
1966–67, total area under rice was 0.29 million ha, which increased to 2.85 million ha by 2013–14. There was also a substantial increase in the average rice
productivity, which increased from 1186 kg/ha in 1966–67 to 3952 kg/ha by 2013–
14 (Fig. 1). During the same period, the area under wheat crop increased from 1.61
to 3.51 million ha and productivity from 1544 to 4848 kg/ha. Punjab has achieved
a crop intensity of 191 % as against 138 in the country as a whole. The present level
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
1970-71 1980-81 1990-91 2000-01 2005-06 2009-10 2012-13 2013-14
Productivity (kg/ha)
Year
Productivity of major crops in Punjab
Rice
Wheat
Maize
Cotton
Fig. 1 Productivity of major crops in Punjab
508
P. Kumar