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Punjab
- India's bread-basket:
 Punjab
is a little big state of India: little because
the state occupies only 1.5% of the geographical
area of the country and big because around two-third
of the food grains procured annually in the country
come from this state. Further over 95 per cent
of the food grains that are moved interstate to
feed deficit areas through the Public Distribution
System (PDS) are the stocks procured from this
state. (click on image to
enlarge)
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The
dawn of Independence:
At the time of partition of the country in 1947, Indian Punjab
(which then included present areas of States of Punjab, Haryana
parts of Himachal and Chandigarh Union Territory) was a food
grain deficit area. In 1951, production of food-grains was
about 1.99 million tonne only, of which wheat was 1.10 million
tonne and rice 0.11 million tonne, Total Real Gross Domestic
Product of the state at 1970-71 prices was Rs. 655 crores
only, 54.4 per cent of which originated from the agriculture
sector.
 Although
at that time the cropping pattern was dominated by foodgrain
crops, occupying 68 percent of the cropped area, yet 38 percent
of the area was cropped with pulses and coarse grains, mainly
on un-irrigated lands. With
net area of 3544 thousands hectare and gross cropped area
of 4170 thousand hectare, intensity of cropping was 118 per
cent only. Fertilizers and pesticides were not used by the
farmers, Tubewells were conspicuous by their absence and tractors
were not much in known in the state. Only 52.3 per cent of
the area was irrigated and land holdings were quite fragmented.
Scenario
after independence:
The state started moving on a growth path with mandatory consolidation
of land holdings, which was considered a pre requisite for
utilisation of canal irrigation water that became available
through the Bhakra Nangal Canal System. Simultaneously, availability
of electric supply through Bhakra Hydel Project encouraged
the installation of tubewells on consolidated holdings that
provided assured irrigation supplementing the canal water
supply. Yet even in 1960-61, the agricultural GDP of the state
(54.01 per cent of the total state GDP) at constant prices
was Rs. 473.7 crore only. Production of foodgrain improved
to 3.16 million tonnes of which wheat was 1.74 million tonnes
and rice 0.25 million tonnes.
Balance
1.84 million tonnes were coarse grains and pulses. Irrigated
area increased to 54 per cent of the net sown area and intensity
of cropping improved to 121 per cent. The cropping pattern
was still dominated by wheat with 29.6 per cent of the cropped
area, pulses 19.08 per cent, coarse grains 10.52 per cent
and cotton with 9.4 per cent of the cropped area of the state.
Gross Cropped Area and Net Sown Area increased marginally
from 4170 thousand hectares and 3544 thousand hectare to 4732
thousand and 3757 thousand hectares respectively. Productivity
of crops started improving but only marginally.
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Bread-basket
of India
- 
Revolution
