Crop Diversification in Trans-Gangetic Plain

Why in news?

States like Punjab and Haryana are unable to get out from the paddy-wheat cycle.

Punjab is the food bowl of India. With 1.53% of the country’s area, it contributed 29% of rice and 38% of wheat in central food grains of the nation.
Punjab is the 3rd largest farming crop producing state in India. Currently 77 lakh acres of the agricultural land is under paddy cultivation in Punjab.

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Haryana is regarded as the bread basket and rice bowl of India, contributing 45% of rice and 65% of wheat to the central pool and more than 5% to total food production of the country.
Haryana is self-sufficient in food production and the second largest contributor to India's central pool of food grains.

Green revolution- It was initiated in 1967 by M.S.Swaminathan to ensure food security in India. Both the states were successful.
Level of profits earned – It is noted that no other crops were profitable like paddy and wheat which are profit maximisers for farmer.

In 2018-19 Paddy was purchased for Rs.75, 887 per hectare whereas gram was purchased for Rs.9, 175 per hectare.

Stable income- Unlike other states and other crops, Punjab’s rice and wheat earn stable and reasonably rising incomes each year attributable to the government’s Minimum Support Price (MSP).
Lack of awareness- The small and marginal farmers have inadequate knowledge about cultivating other crops which makes them difficult to find buyers for selling it in better prices.
Availability of services - Availability of cheap power, water and easy access to information and services encourages farmers to undergo monoculture practice.

Increased productivity - Crop diversification is a strategy applied to grow more diverse crops from shrinking land resources with an increase in productivity in the same arable land.
Groundwater conservation - Encouraging farmers to grow maize, bajra over water-guzzling crops like paddy will lead to groundwater conservation.
- As per a recent UN report, in Punjab, the amount of groundwater withdrawn in certain regions frequently exceeds natural recharge rates.
Soil enrichment- Crop diversification increases the soil health in the nutrient deficient rice and wheat regions.
Increase resource use efficiency- Breaking the mono-cropping pattern by the introduction of diverse crops and cropping patterns helps in the resource-use efficiency.
Revival of traditional agriculture- This method ensures crop diversity which is more stable and pro-nature.
Reduction of pest & diseases- It helps effectively in pest and diseases management, reduces the quantity of weeds.
Reduction in crop failure - It allows farmers to employ biological cycles to conserve the resource base and reduce the risk of crop failures.
Increased income - It boosts the land use efficiency and enhance the net returns by reducing the input cost.
Food and nutrition security- It has sound capacity for achieving the goal of nutritional security by widening the food basket like cultivating millets, cereals etc.,

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Lack of awareness - Many farmers are unaware of the concept of crop diversification due to large scale illiteracy among them.
Lack of training - Only few scientists are working for alternative crop research and there is a lack of trained human resources in crop diversification.
Poor government support- Government encourages cultivation of rice and wheat as they would ensure food security.
Infrastructural deficit- Lack of proper storage facilities, Post-harvest management and few food processing industries decrease the value chain.
Low investment- Low investment in research and development actitvities to enhance crop diversification is another issue.
Monetary factor- The level of compensation associated with other crops is less compared with Paddy and wheat

In the Garhwal Himalayan region of India, Barahnaja is a crop diversification system for cultivating 12 crops in a year.

Johl Committee - It recommended for shifting at least 20% of the net cropped area from dominant crops like paddy and wheat in Punjab to other crops.
Ashok Dalwai Committee (Committee on doubling the farmers’ income) - It recommended shifting some areas from staple cereals to high-value produce so that it can lead to a sizable increase in the returns for farmers.
Crop Diversification Programme (2013-2014) - It was launched by the Central Government as a sub-component under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) to diversify 5% of the paddy cultivation area in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Punjab.
Punjab’s scheme - In the 2023 budget, the Punjab government allocated ₹1,000 crore for implementing a special scheme on crop diversification.
National Food Security Mission (NFSM) - It is launched in 2013 to supplement the state government to enhance the diversified production of crops such as pulses, coarse cereals, and nutri cereals.
Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) - It is a scheme for holistic growth and development of Horticulture sector.
It covers vegetables, fruits, roots and tuber crops, aromatic plants, flowers, spices, bamboo, coconut, cashew and cocoa.

There is a need

- To enhance the focus on research and development to work in alternative crop development like maize and soya bean.
- To expand the investment in human resources.
To create federations like ‘Punjab Maize Federation’ or ‘Punjab Soya bean Federation’ to institutionalise the development and progress of different alternative crops.
To fill the gaps in the value chain by improving food processing industry, create favourable business environment like offer tax holidays etc.,