What is the issue?

Questions are being raised on the sustainability of paddy-wheat cultivation, especially in Punjab.

What is the extent of paddy-wheat monoculture in Punjab?

Monoculture refers to the practice of cultivation of a single crop at a given area

• Paddy-wheat cultivation adds up to 84.6% of the total area planted to all crops in Punjab in 2018-19.
• The real acreage share increase has taken place in paddy from below 7% in 1970-71 to almost 40% in 2018-19.
• The above gains have been at the expense of other crops such as pulses ,maize, bajra, oilseeds, cotton, groundnut ,sugarcane ,etc.
• The only crops that have registered some acreage expansions are vegetables (especially potato and pea) and fruits (kinnow).

What are the problems of monoculture?

• Increase in vulnerability to pest and disease attacks
• No nitrogen fixation unlike pulses and legumes
• Absence of crop rotation leads to depletion of soil nutrients
• Growing dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides
• Decline in water table since paddy is a water-guzzling crop where more than 30 irrigations are needed (5 irrigations for wheat)
• Punjab’s groundwater table has been declining by 0.5 meters per annum on an average
• Soil salinity and waterlogging due to excess surface irrigation
• Nutrition insecurity because of lack of crop diversification
• Decrease in biodiversity
• Economically riskier for farmers

What measures have been taken so far?

• Punjab Preservation of Subsoil Water Act in 2009- bars any nursery-sowing and transplanting of paddy before May 15 and June 15, respectively
• But it pushes harvesting to October-end leaving little time for farmers contributing to stubble burning
• Minimum Support Prices (MSP) given to various crops incentivises crop diversification

How can the issues of monoculture be addressed?

• Limit Punjab’s a non-basmati paddy area and ensure planting of only shorter-duration varieties
• Direct seeding of paddy can reduce the usage of inputs
• Water savings can be induced through metering of electricity
• Assured government price/per-acre incentive support must be provided for crops other than paddy and wheat
• Crop diversification, including rotation and intercropping and the use of diverse forage plants in pastureland must be promoted
• Prospective private buyers should be part of the extension effort
• But change is possible only if the State works closely with the Union Government

Source: The Indian Express, Businessline