24-04-2014, 12:01 PM
Cropping Pattern and Growth of Agricultural Marketed Surplus
INTRODUCTION
Agriculture is viewed as the engine of economic development and is the only
activity capable of generating a surplus large enough to stimulate growth in other sectors
of the economy (William, 1970). The physical environment, a shrinking export base and
inability to absorb an expanding labour force limits agriculture. Therefore, as the
economy grows, the share of the agriculture sector, both in income and employment,
declines. Unfortunately, it did not happen adequately in Punjab State. Punjab has a very
disturbing sectoral composition comprising a deteriorating agriculture and a very weak
industrial base (Ghuman, 2011). Punjab witnessed a phenomenal growth of the
agricultural sector since the mid-sixties. However, Punjab’s future agricultural
development will require much faster crop diversification in view of changes in
consumption pattern. To have the right insight of the situation, first of all, the production
and yield of crops should be analysed.
This chapter deals with the cropping pattern, trends in area, production and yield
of all major crops namely rice, maize, potato, sugarcane, gram, barley, wheat, cotton etc.
as well as total marketed surplus /market arrivals of foodgrains and non-foodgrains over
the reference time period.
Agro-based Industries and Cropping Pattern
The relationship between agro-based industries and the cropping pattern may be
considered to be mutually complementary, reflecting a resemblance of cause and effect
relationship. However, the degree of complementary activity varies with the nature of the
agro-based industry and the crop linked to it. It may be added that no universal rule can
be laid down as regards the inducing factor, i.e., whether the crop leads to the setting up
of the agro-based industry or the agro-based industry results in the cultivation of the crop
concerned (Venkaiah, 1987). Thus the cause-effect relationship may not be conclusively
specified.
The cropping pattern is a function of several variables like climatic conditions,
Trends in Cropping Pattern in Punjab
For the rational use of land and increasing the productivity per unit of time by
changing the subsistence farming into market-oriented, change in cropping pattern is
necessary to solve the food problems and provide raw-material to the agro-industries
(Sethi, 1989). The cropping pattern of Punjab has changed a lot during the last four-five
decades. For the detailed analysis, the changes in cropping pattern should be scanned.
Table 3.1 shows the gross cropped area under different crops namely wheat, rice,
maize, foodgrains, cotton, potatoes, sugarcane and total pulses during 1980-81 to 2005-
06. Before green revolution the dominant crops were wheat, maize, cotton, pulses,
oilseeds and sugarcane that occupied a major portion of gross cropped area. But after
green revolution these crops except wheat, sugarcane and cotton have lost their
importance. After the 1980’s the crops that occupied the major portion of cropped area
are wheat and rice. This has been made possible through the technological breakthrough
in wheat and rice crops along with increased use of fertilizers and high yielding variety
seeds and assured price policy for these crops in the State.
Milk Production
Punjab is the second largest milk producing State in India. In the year 1990-91,
5142 thousand tons of milk was produced in the State. The milk production in the State
increased to 7774 thousand ton in 2000-01 and further to 8908 thousand tons in 2005-
06. It is clear from the table 3.8 that the milk production has increased with the passage
of time and the compound growth rate of milk production was 3.49 per cent per annum.
Thus there is considerable scope for expansion of the milk production in the State and
development of milk-processing industries.
For this purpose, there may be development of mini-milk chilling-cum-processing
plants in the rural areas and modern milk plants in factory sector in the n areas. This in
turn has increased the growth in livestock, poultry and fisheries sector in the recent past
that has thereby increased the importance and growth in the country’s feed industry. It is
observed that milk production may be increased by 20 to 30 per cent by just improved
and balanced feeding.