Centre mulling alternative crops
The Union Government is looking at
the possibility of replacing rice crop in Punjab and Haryana with alternative
crops such as pulses, fodder and oilseeds that help in nitrogen fixation. The
water-intensive rice cultivation over the years has become unsustainable in
these two States and the water table has fallen to precarious levels.
Giving this information to members
of Parliament’s Consultative Committee for his Ministry, Agriculture Minister
Sharad Pawar said a meeting had been planned with the two Chief Ministers in
September to consider various aspects related to the proposed crop
substitution. This will include suitability of alternate crops, their impact on
water production, and cost of production, marketing and processing.
Commenting on the proposal, Planning
Commission Member (Agriculture) Abhijit Sen told The Hindu that this
would succeed only if the Punjab farmers got a profitable alternative crop
because they were used to a Minimum Support Price for kharif paddy.
At the same time, the quantum of
rice production that would go down with substitution had to be assured from the
Second Green Revolution States in eastern India.
Asked if this was linked to climate
change and the pressure on India to reduce rice cultivation, he said: “No, this
is not linked to climate change. It was recommended by a panel. There was an
attempt by the former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to implement it
some seven years ago.”
The implication for the States’ farm
economy too would have to be studied considering the high stakes for rice
millers, another expert pointed out, adding that wheat cultivation would have
to be continued so that food security would not be impacted.
Punjab, the third largest producer of kharif
rice, contributes about 10 million tonnes to the country after West Bengal and
Uttar Pradesh.
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