Make viable action plan for farmers’ sustenance

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Surinder S Kukal

PUNJAB’S agriculture is at the crossroads today. Depleting and degrading natural resources, higher input costs and lower-than-expected prices of agricultural produce, besides climate change, are among the main problems plaguing farmers. The state badly requires a practical and doable agricultural policy so as to pull farmers out of distress. However, such a policy is not possible without the participation of all stakeholders. It would be better if the agricultural policy contains some agro-climatic region-specific components, apart from common components for the whole state.

Soils all over the state are getting depleted of macro as well as micro nutrients, coupled with shrinking microbial population. The organic carbon status in the majority of the soils is either depleting or has been static for the past many years due to lack of crop and animal residue recycling, an important function of the carbon cycle. Water resources, especially groundwater, are depleting at an alarming rate. Groundwater in the state is falling at an average annual rate of 65-70 cm. The surface water resource distribution needs to be relooked as a part of it remains unutilised. Farmers have to spend a lot on installing or further deepening of submersible tubewells, leading to increased debts.

Agricultural policies have been framed from time to time, sometimes with great success, especially during the era of Green Revolution. However, such policies were aimed specifically at the food security of the country. This took a toll on the natural resources of the region. Since the country is now self-sufficient in foodgrains, the state needs to have an agricultural policy keeping in mind: (a) the sustenance of natural resources (soil and water), (b) saving farmers from distress, (c) attracting the rural youth towards agriculture. To achieve these aims, there is an urgent need to frame a focused agricultural policy. Some of the components of such a policy could be the following:

Micro-level crop diversification and marketing plan: The effective crop diversification is a pre-requisite not only for profitable agriculture, but also for sustenance of natural resources, particularly soil and water. However, for such a plan to succeed, it needs to be based on the local conditions (block/cluster level) including existing and potential marketing channels. The micro-diversification plan needs to be based on water balance, niche crops and marketing channels in that particular block/cluster. For such a plan to succeed, the intervention of state marketing agencies for procurement of alternative crop produce at MSP is required. These agencies can aim for processing, value addition and marketing the end-products for profit-making. The farmers need to be empowered to bargain for better price of their produce by creating farm/cluster-level storage infrastructure. The concept of apni mandi needs to be revived and dedicated space be provided to the farmers to sell their produce. ‘Agro-tourism’ could be promoted at least in villages situated near the cities.

Reorienting agri research and extension: Agricultural research and outreach programmes, currently being rice-wheat production-oriented, need to be reoriented more towards sustenance of natural resources, focusing mainly on:

• Conservation/precision irrigation techniques in relation to different agro-climatic conditions, including irrigation water availability and quality.
• Conservation tillage, including zero till with residue retention so as to recycle crop residue for better soil health.
• Promotion of integrated agriculture — integrated pest management, integrated nutrient management and integrated water management — rather than chemical-based agriculture
• Breeding for alternative crops (other than rice/wheat) for higher yields, drought resistance, pest-resistance, etc.
• Post-harvest technology for value addition of agricultural produce, including development of modular processing units for individual/group of farmers.
• Market intelligence analyses for forecasting the potential price of agricultural produce.
• Formal outreach programmes like field days and camps need to be reviewed so as to evolve an outreach system to involve real tillers of the land and not proxy farmers.

Agriculture-industry linkages: The area under alternative crops, including the niche crops, can best be expanded by creating strong and direct linkages between agro-based industry and farmers. The policy should focus on establishing dedicated agro-industries and food processing units in niche crop areas through a single-window system at the government level, on the lines of focal points. Promotion of small-scale rural industry can serve the dual purpose of employment generation and better value for agricultural produce.

Sustenance of water resources: To achieve water rationing, the standard water requirement in agricultural and municipal sectors could be provided free of cost but any consumption over and above the standard requirement may be charged heavily. The conservation of water by industries by any means could be converted into water credits for the industry. The policy must include mandatory harvesting of rainwater (including rooftop rainwater) especially in urban areas where most of the rainwater goes as runoff into rivers and streams and ultimately out of the state. The harvested rainwater could either be used for groundwater recharge or stored for its re-use for non-drinking purposes. The excess canal water during the rainy season could better be utilised for groundwater recharge.

Punjab badly needs a robust, practical and doable agricultural policy, of course in consultation with various stakeholders, especially farmers and technocrats. The main aim of such a policy should be to improve the living standards of the real tillers of the land, coupled with sustained use of natural resources of soil and water. The most important thing is to strictly implement such a policy.

The author is a member of the Punjab Water Regulation & Development Authority