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Notes
[Large part of the paper is drawn
from the study Potentials and Prospects of Agricultural
Diversification in Punjab, Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi,
March 1996, computer-script.] 1 Refer to the agenda paper,
‘Punjab Agriculture 2020: Farmers and Farming in Punjab’, Punjab
Agricultural University, Ludhiana, October, 1998. 2 As per the prevalent practice
in our sample and in most of the rural Punjab, dairy unit consists
of in-milk and dry buffaloes and crossbred cows and some young
stock. Expansion of dairy activity implies expansion of all these
animals and not in-milk animals alone. 3 According to an estimate of
department of economics, PAU, Ludhiana, number of migrant labour in
agriculture is about 12 lakh, which corresponds to 1 worker for
every 5 workers in the state. 4 On the contrary, Punjab farmers
prefer labour saving technologies because sufficient labour at
reasonable wage rate is not available for crop production operations
despite the flux of migrant labour from outside states to Punjab. 5 According to a PAU study ratios
of straw to grains vary from 0.50 to 1.97 for different varieties.
For a conservative estimate we have used the lower ratio. 6 The price paid for straw by the
industries is so low that only few farmers around the factory
location find it economic to transport and sell the produce. 7 Discussions with the
agricultural experts reveal that most of the increase in GCA has
gone to wheat and paddy directly, while, remaining increase in GCA
has resulted in expansion of wheat and paddy area indirectly through
crop shifts. 8 Encouragement by the
agriculture department to grow crops like sunflower gives the signal
to farmers as if water scarcity is not a serious problem in the
state. 9 As per the available statistics
flower production is taken only on 159 hectares area in Punjab and
on 29,430 hectares in India (Economic Times, March 25, 1996,
p 12) which constitute only 0.002 and 0.016 per cent of the total
cropped area, respectively. 10 Based on the findings of the
ongoing research study on ‘Public Investment in Indian
Agriculture: Implications for Growth and Equity’, National Centre
for Agricultural Economics and Policy Research, New Delhi. References
Baldev Singh (1992):
‘Groundwater Resources and Agricultural Development Strategy:
Punjab Experience’, Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics,
Vol XLVII, No 1, January-March. Chopra, Kanchan (1990): Agricultural
Development in Punjab: Issues in Resources Use
and Sustainability, Vikas Publishing, New Delhi. – (1993): ‘Sustainability of
Agriculture’, Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol
XLVIII, No 3, Conf No July-September. Dhawan, B D (1995): Groundwater
Depletion, Land Degradation and Irrigated Agriculture in India,
Commonwealth Publishers, New Delhi. Prihar, S S, S D Khepar, Raghbir
Singh, S S Grewal and S K Sondhi (1993): Water Resources of
Punjab – A Critical Concern for the Future of Its Agriculture
(2nd ed), Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. Radhakrishna, R and S Ravi
(1992): Effects of Growth, Relative Prices and Preferences
on Food and Nutrition, Centre for Economic and Social
Studies, Begumpet, Hyderabad. Ramesh Chand (1996): Potentials
and Prospects of Agricultural Diversification in Punjab,
Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi, Computer-script. Surender Singh (1991): ‘Some
Aspects of Groundwater Balance in Punjab’, Economic and
Political Weekly, Review of Agriculture, Vol XXVI, No 52,
December 28. Vaidyanathan, A (1994): ‘The Employment Situation: Some Emerging Perspectives’, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol XXIX, No 50, December 10.
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