Mizaj-e-Punjab
Charanjit Bhullar
Chandigarh, 18 December
Fertilizers are being used blindly in Punjab. Only then, in the consumption of fertilizers, Punjab is at the top of the country. Indiscriminate use of pesticides is equally bad for the earth’s womb and human health. In the year 2023-24, there has been a business of pesticides and fertilizers worth Rs 34134.38 crore in Punjab, while the same business was worth Rs 9877.00 crore in the year 2017-18. The experts of Punjab Agricultural University are saddened that their recommendations are thrown in the waste basket. Moneylenders are happy that farmers are heeding their advice.
According to the Agriculture Department, there are 13,513 retailers of pesticides and 9932 retailers of fertilizers in Punjab. There are 71 manufacturing units of pesticides in the state. Looking at the use of fertilizers, the average consumption in Punjab in the year 2023-24 is 247.61 kg per hectare, while the national average of consumption is 139.81 kg per hectare. The usage is about 107 kg per hectare more than the national average. When crops in the Narma belt were attacked by the American weevil every year, then the major consumption of pesticides was in the Narma belt.
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In Punjab, from the year 2017-18 to the year 2023-24, there has been a business of 205606.56 crores of fertilizers and pesticides, some part of which is also products sold in neighboring states. Ludhiana and Bathinda have emerged as two such centers in Punjab, where companies have built their warehouses and set up supply centers. In terms of fertilizers and pesticides business, Ludhiana is at number one, where there has been a business of 48350.35 crores from the year 2017-18 to the year 2023-34. They had 1126 businessmen in Ludhiana. There are 1292 businessmen in Bathinda district, who have done business of 42197.48 crores during these seven and a half years of fertilizers and pesticides. Mohali is at number three, where 29115.16 crores of business has been done by 343 businessmen during the above years. In the same period, the business of 2602.48 crores has been done in Barnala district and 3869.27 crores in Mansa district. Businessmen also include manufacturing units. Pesticides are supplied from Punjab to neighboring states. Earlier, the trumpet of multinational companies has been speaking in Punjab, but now farmers are also buying local brands, which are cheaper. 10209.86 crores business in Amritsar district of Majhe while 2432.56 crores business in Hoshiarpur district of Doabe. Farmers of Punjab call it a compulsion while agricultural experts are calling it an unnecessary hassle. Agronomists recommend two doses of urea for wheat but farmers apply four doses. There is unnecessary consumption of DAP in potato and cabbage. Punjab consumes 31 lakh tonnes of urea and 7.50 lakh tonnes of DAP. Pesticides are being used for weed control and growth or to prevent leaf blight etc. In response to a question asked by Rajya Sabha member Satnam Singh Sandhu during the Parliament session, the Union Agriculture Minister said that 6981 hectares of land in Punjab has been brought under organic farming.
Deficiency of organic elements in the earth
The result of the unnecessary use of fertilizers and pesticides is that the health of the soil of Punjab is getting sick. There is a shortage of organic elements in the earth and the overuse of poisons is having a direct-indirect effect on human health. Farmer leaders say that the farmers have put everything at stake to fill the stomach of the country, for which the Indian government has not found any value.
