Punjab farmers usher in a ‘silent revolution’ by diversifying agriculture through horticulture

In 2023-24, the worth of horticultural nutrient recorded a four-fold maturation astatine Rs 26,580.38 crore from Rs 6,267.40 crore successful 2011-12, accounting for 17.03 per cent of gross home merchandise (GDP) successful the cultivation sector, which stands astatine Rs 156,068.46 crore, from overmuch little country nether cultivation than different accepted crops, according to the horticulture department.

Main horticulture products successful Punjab see kinnow, saccharine orange, lime, lemon, mango, litchi, guava, pear, peach, plum, grapes, ber, amla, banana, potato, onion, garlic, tomato, brinjal, cauliflower, cabbage, okra, chilli, peas, muskmelon, watermelon, vine crops and basal crops, among different — requiring importantly little h2o compared to paddy and wheat.

Horticultural crops are indispensable for nutrition security, and with an expanding fig of radical shifting towards nutritionally affluent foods alternatively of relying solely connected grains, their cultivation has assumed significance, giving a fillip to the farmers’ income.

Horticulture maturation amid declining gross cropped area

The country nether horticulture accumulation successful Punjab expanded from 278,583 hectares successful 2011-12 to 482,000 hectares successful 2023-24 contempt a simplification successful the state’s gross cropped country — 7.902 cardinal hectares successful 2011-12 to 7.826 cardinal hectares successful 2023-24.

Notably, the full accumulation of horticultural crops during this play astir doubled — from5.223 cardinal metric tons successful 2011-12 to 9.527 cardinal metric tons successful 2023-24.

Moreover, the worth of cultivation nutrient successful Punjab doubled implicit the past decennary from Rs 70425.17 successful 2011-12 to Rs 1, 56,068.46 crore successful 2023-24, portion the horticultural nutrient recorded a four-fold maturation of Rs 6,267.40 successful 2011–2012 to Rs 26,580.38 crore successful 2023-24, underscoring its economical imaginable for diversification into high-value crops specified arsenic fruits and vegetables.

Decadal maturation successful fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables person been cardinal to Punjab’s diversification efforts, thus, the country nether effect cultivation accrued from 76,592 hectares successful 2013-14 to 103,287 hectares successful 2023-24 and the country nether vegetables saw a singular emergence from 203,734 to 356,476 hectares successful the aforesaid period.

Additionally, astir 20,000 hectares successful Punjab are present dedicated to different horticultural crops specified arsenic flowers, seeds, mushrooms, medicinal plants, oilseeds, celery and turmeric.

Emphasising Punjab’s immense imaginable successful horticulture, Dr Daljit Singh, Deputy Director of the Horticulture Department, Jalandhar, highlighted the increasing inclination of farmers, backed by the Indo-Israel Centre of Excellence for Vegetables successful Kartarpur, expanding country nether pear orchard.

The inaugural promotes

polyhouse and walk-in passageway farming, enabling farmers to turn vegetables of exceptional prime and quantity.

Dr Singh pointed out, “Punjab has precocious technologies for cultivating horticultural crops, which person attracted galore tiny and marginal farmers for assured precocious returns.”

“Farmers tin gain implicit Rs 1 lakh from a two-kanal crippled (one-fourth of an acre) which they are not earning from adjacent 1 acre by cultivating accepted crops similar wheat and paddy,” helium noted.

Dr Singh, however, stressed the request for much unit to instrumentality authorities policies and caller techniques effectively. The horticulture section is functioning with lone 25 per cent of its sanctioned strength, with astir 110 Horticulture Development Officer posts lying vacant.

Several farmers stock galore occurrence stories, highlighting the profitability horticulturebrings to them.

A 64-year-old from Sultanpur Lodhi successful Kapurthala, Phuman Singh Kaurra says helium earns astir Rs 2 lakh per acre by increasing carrots and seeds. Manjit Singh, a 59-year-old landless husbandman (who takes onshore connected rent) from Kotkapura says helium earns Rs 4 lakh per acre annually from turmeric cultivation and selling its powder. Bhupinder Singh, a 41-year-old from Rode colony successful Moga, pegs his net from selling ail seeds astatine Rs 13-14 lakh per acre. Harbinder Singh Sandhu from Hoshiarpur generates implicit Rs 1 crore from doorbell peppers, with a nett of astir Rs 50 lakh from conscionable six acres.

These farmers are unanimous successful promoting diversification into horticultural crops portion stating that combined with hard enactment and regular tract monitoring, farming tin pb to important profit. They besides accent the value of authorities enactment successful processing, selling and raising consciousness astir fiscal assistance schemes for perishable horticultural crops.

Talking astir the driving forces down this horticulture revolution, Punjab HorticultureDepartment Director Shailender Kaur said respective factors contributed to this transformation. “The authorities is promoting respective schemes done the authorities horticulture section similar providing subsidies, training, and marketplace linkages to farmers. Farmers are progressively drawn to horticulture owed to its assured precocious profitability per portion of onshore compared to accepted crops similar wheat and paddy. Horticulture crops often necessitate little water, making them a viable alternate successful a authorities grappling with depleting groundwater levels.”

She believes Punjab’s diversification into horticulture is not conscionable an economical imperative but besides an biology necessity. “With the state’s gross cropped country stagnating, expanding horticulture could supply a sustainable pathway to bolster farmers’ incomes portion reducing biology stress.”

Farmers consciousness due acold concatenation facilities and capable proscription networks tin effect successful redeeming immense wastage (nearly 15-20 per cent) of perishable horticultural commodities which is taking spot successful the lack of due absorption systems similar processing units, acold chains, expanding acold retention and processing infrastructure. These are indispensable to minimise losses and maximise profits.