Condition Of Farmers in Punjab

The government today decided to bring down the quantum of subsidy on decontrolled fertilisers  -- phosphatic (P) and potassic (K) -- for the 2012-13 fiscal. Due to strengthening of the rupee and bearish global price, the Fertiliser Ministry had recommended reduction in subsidy on nitrogen (N) and potassium (K), which will be Rs 24 per kg each and Rs 21.8 per kg on phosphate (P) for the 2012-13 fiscal. So there will be more burden on Farmers.

 Punjab farmer is going from bad to worse in the face of penalizing attitude of the government. Punjab remained a case of special interest of governments in the 400 years of its history. The Indian government has treated Punjab not differently from the colonial rule of the British and theocratic reign of the Mughals. The British were focused only to obfuscate the political will of the Sikhs and blunt their religious enthusiasm, but the center government after independence has shown that it would go one step further in wrecking the state economically as well.

Fact Sheet: Agriculture in Punjab

1. Punjab contributes 40% towards the central pool of rice and 55 %-60% of towards the central pool of wheat

2. Punjab has 14 lakh tubewells – the highest for any state in the country

3. Around 85 % of the state’s farmers are reeling under debt

4. PAU research estimates that debt has risen to Rs 35,000 cr

5. The state has 40,000 licensed commission agents

6.  Punjab consumes 10 per cent of the total fertilizer consumption in India

7. 3,000 farmers committed suicide in Punjab in the last 10 years, says a PAU study. This is only Reported figure but in actual it is countless.