Baldev Singh Dhillon and Raj Kumar
DURING the kharif season, maize (sauni-makki) used to be an important crop in Punjab up to 1973-74, when it was cultivated on 5.67 lakh hectares (ha), adopted by cotton (American and desi, 5.23 lakh ha) and paddy (parmal and basmati, 4.99 lakh ha). Both paddy and cotton overtook sauni-makki in 1974-75. Thereafter, paddy cultivation continued to increase at the price of maize and different kharif crops, its acreage being 31.45 lakh ha throughout 2021-22. In distinction, the acreage of sauni-makki decreased from the height of 5.77 lakh ha (1975-76) to 1.05 lakh ha (2021-22), and that of American cotton from 7.01 lakh ha (1988-89) to 2.49 lakh ha (2021-22). Further, space below different kharif crops akin to desi cotton, groundnut, pearl millet and pulses saved shrinking.
During the TE (triennium ending) 2021-22, Hoshiarpur (53,200 ha) and Rupnagar (21,700 ha) accounted for round 68 per cent of the sauni-makki space within the state.
Sauni-makki has misplaced better-endowed and managed space to paddy, squeezing its cultivation principally to comparatively much less fertile land with insufficient irrigation services, Most of the sauni-makki growers are resource-poor. Thus, it’s cultivated below sub-optimal administration situations. The use of fertilisers is insufficient and that of weedicides and pesticides is virtually absent. Sauni-makki yield can also be not steady due to its sensitivity to the vagaries of climate. Erratic rain causes better hurt to sauni-makki, not like paddy, as it’s extremely delicate to extra moisture stress. If there’s drought, farmers divert irrigation assets from sauni-makki to paddy.
During the TE 2021-22, the state’s common yield of parmal, the predominant paddy selection procured by the federal government (it occupied 96 per cent and 92 per cent of the world below paddy in Hoshiarpur and Rupnagar districts, respectively), was 67.56 quintals/ha. In comparability, sauni-makki’s yield was 37.18 q/ha. Sauni-makki has a comparatively decrease MSP. Assuming that sauni-makki produce was offered at MSP, its financial returns had been decrease than these of parmal by about
Rs 20,000/acre (primarily based on three years’ common up to 2021-22). Actually, within the absence of procurement, market costs fall considerably (40-50 per cent) beneath MSP.
The poor administration of the sauni-makki crop is manifested by an enormous hole between its realisable yield potential and that obtained by farmers. The common yield of the really helpful hybrids and composites of sauni-makki, as per the Package of Practices for Crops of Punjab — Kharif (PAU, 2023), is 57.48 q/ha, whereas the farmers in Punjab obtained 37.18 q/ha in the course of the TE 2021-22. In distinction, the distinction between the realisable yield potential of parmal (73.79 q/ha) and the state common (67.56 q/ha) is barely 6.23 q/ha.
Multi-pronged efforts are needed to allow sauni-makki to compete and occupy some space below paddy cultivation. These are: (i) enhancement of yield realised by the farmers, (ii) coverage assist to make sauni-makki cultivation as remunerative as that of paddy, (iii) selling industrial use of maize to create demand.
Efforts are being made by the state Agriculture Department and PAU to create consciousness concerning the deserves of sauni-makki over paddy and the most recent bundle of practices of sauni-makki cultivation. These want to be stepped up. These endeavours can increase the realised yield and improve returns, however might have little impact on the growth of sauni-makki space. Sauni-makki farming has to be as remunerative as that of parmal to spur farmers to exchange space below paddy with maize. For that, assured advertising and marketing at MSP is probably not sufficient, and the farmers’ earnings might have to be augmented to draw them in the direction of cultivating sauni-makki.
The creation of demand for maize additionally deserves consideration, for which the business ought to play a key function. Maize manufacturing in Punjab is much lower than its native demand. The maize obtainable within the native market has usually very excessive moisture content material and drying price. Therefore, the business prefers to purchase it from distant markets — Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.
The business wants to be motivated to buy domestically produced sauni-makki. Further, extra processing industries could have to be put in with an emphasis on ethanol manufacturing. In view of the lengthy gestation interval of latest initiatives, the preliminary focus must be on supporting farm animal and poultry feed business to produce high quality feed. As per estimates, Punjab can utilise round 50 lakh tonnes of maize for this goal, whereas it’s producing solely 4-odd lakh tonnes.
Some solutions to allow sauni-makki to garner some space below paddy to diversify the kharif cropping system are as follows:
- Promote sauni-makki cultivation by creating consciousness about its benefits over paddy cultivation, akin to decrease irrigation requirement, no hostile impact on soil well being, and that wheat has greater yield (4 to 5 q/ha) when sown after sauni-makki than paddy.
- Ensure well timed availability of high quality inputs, akin to seed, fertilisers and pesticides.
- The Punjab State Seed Corporation must be strengthened for the manufacturing of hybrid seeds.
- Ensure that sauni-makki produce is offered at MSP. The business should contribute by selling sauni-makki cultivation and buying the produce at MSP.
The subsequent step must be to improve farmers’ revenue by making sauni-makki cultivation as remunerative as that of paddy. With the shift in space from paddy to sauni-makki, there will probably be financial savings in subsidies on energy provide and price of paddy straw administration.
The use of sauni-makki to diversify the cropping system is a difficult activity. For its success, all stakeholders — the federal government, the business and farmers — should be part of arms.
Dhillon is former VC and Kumar is Principal Extension Scientist (Agricultural Economics), PAU, Ludhiana
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