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Punjab’s Agricultural Crisis: The Need for Soil Revitalisation
Context:
Punjab, often hailed as India’s “food bowl,” faces a critical agricultural crisis as its soils degrade due to excessive reliance on chemical fertilisers.
Current State of Agriculture
- Chemical Dependency: Punjab consumes twice the national average of chemical fertilisers, with 247.61 kg per hectare in 2023-24 compared to the national average of 139.81 kg. This trend is unsustainable.
- Declining Yields: Farmers like Sukhvinder Singh report a decline in yields: from 95 quintals per hectare of paddy in 2014-15 to 85 quintals today, despite increased fertiliser application.
- Soil Health: Years of intensive farming have stripped the soil of nutrients and biodiversity, with reports showing soil organic carbon (SOC) levels between 0.3% and 0.8%, far below the desired 1%.
Impact of Farming Practices
- Soil Degradation: Continuous cropping of rice and wheat has led to hardening of soils, reducing their ability to hold water and absorb nutrients. Farmers face issues like an impermeable layer at 6-7 inches depth, causing waterlogging during heavy rains.
- Increased Fertiliser Use: Farmers are forced to apply 350% more urea than two decades ago, raising costs and perpetuating a cycle of dependency.
- Nutritional Concerns: Depleted soils yield crops with lower nutrient quality, which may adversely affect public health.
Soil Health Card Scheme
- Launched in 2015, the Soil Health Card (SHC) scheme aimed to promote balanced fertiliser use through soil testing. However:
- Farmers report ineffective implementation; many have never received cards or experienced unreliable testing results.
- Only 2,587 soil samples from Punjab were tested in 2024-25, indicating a lack of infrastructure and agricultural staff for proper testing.
Contributing Factors to Soil Decline
- Stubble Burning: Post-harvest burning of crop residues diminishes soil microbial activity and mycorrhizal fungi essential for nutrient absorption.
- Water Over-extraction: The need for irrigation has led to over-extraction of groundwater, with tube wells drilled up to 500 feet deep. Punjab risks becoming a desert in the next 25 years if current practices continue.
Possible Solutions:
- Organic Farming Initiatives: Some farmers, like Gulab Singh, are shifting to organic practices, albeit gradually, recognising the need to reduce chemical dependency.
- Improved Soil Testing: Enhancing the soil testing infrastructure and increasing farmer awareness of soil health can aid in revitalisation efforts.