Low farm productivity in big states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal as compared to high-yielding Punjab and Haryana, which feed the entire country, is proving to be a limiting factor to India’s food security in the long run.
This assumes significance as the government is trying to bring a Right to Food law aiming at providing food security to the poor.
“Forget low productivity of Indian farms vis a vis the US and China, the vast difference in per hectare yield in different states within the country is a big challenge for food security planning,” said a senior government official. Food and agriculture minister Sharad Pawar said, “There is a need for a second green revolution which should move to the eastern states.” Data available with the agriculture ministry shows that while the states like Punjab and Haryana have a per hectare yield of 4,255 quintals and 3,420 quintals, some of the big states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Orissa produce only 2,206 quintals, 1,546 quintals, 1,069 quintals, 1,150 quintals and 1,484 quintals per hectare respectively.
“Despite focus on improving farm productivity in such states for decades, the results are not very encouraging. What food security are we talking about?” said an official.
Farm experts said agriculture production in Punjab and Haryana has reached its threshold due to excessive use of fertilisers, pesticides and groundwater depletion, to boost productivity.
“It is time the government focuses on the low productivity states as any results there would take years to show. Unless yield improves in these areas, our food security plans would not be food proof,” said an agriculture ministry official.
With around 60 per cent of the Indian agriculture still dependent on monsoon, experts said the progress of providing irrigation facilities in non-traditional areas remains abysmally poor.
Coupled with this, indifference of the states governments towards the subject and low investment to create infrastructure facilities continue to drag the over all agricultural productivity in India, added experts.