Syllabus: Major crops – cropping patterns in various parts of the country
Context
- India overtook China as the world’s largest rice producer in the latest year.
- Rice exports have nearly doubled over a decade, crossing 20 million metric tonnes recently.
- Political leadership credited resilient farmers and supportive agricultural policies for this achievement.
Groundwater Depletion Concerns
- Rice cultivation is increasingly linked to unsustainable depletion of groundwater aquifers.
- Farmers are compelled to borrow heavily to drill deeper borewells for irrigation.
- In Punjab and Haryana, groundwater was accessible at 30 feet around a decade ago.
- Borewell depths have now increased to 80–200 feet, especially during the last five years.
- These trends are corroborated by government data and Punjab Agricultural University research.
Role of Subsidies and Incentives
- Government subsidies strongly incentivise continued rice cultivation over less water-intensive crops.
- Minimum Support Price (MSP) for rice has risen by nearly 70% over the past decade.
- Heavy electricity subsidies encourage excessive groundwater extraction for farm irrigation.
- Policy framework effectively rewards higher groundwater consumption in a water-stressed country.
Regional Vulnerability
- Punjab and Haryana rice farmers primarily depend on groundwater irrigation, unlike other regions.
- Such dependence increases vulnerability to weak or erratic monsoon conditions.
- Despite strong monsoons over the last two years, extraction rates remain extremely high.
Aquifer Status and Extraction Rates
- Large parts of Punjab and Haryana are classified as “over-exploited” or “critical”.
- These States extract 35%–57% more groundwater than natural annual recharge levels.
- Farmers incur rising costs for longer pipes and more powerful pumping systems.
Water Intensity of Rice Cultivation
- Producing one kilogram of rice requires 3,000–4,000 litres of water.
- This is 20%–60% higher than the global average water requirement.
Policy Signals for Change
- Haryana introduced a subsidy of ₹17,500 per hectare to promote crop diversification.
- Incentive encourages shifts towards millets, but is limited to one cropping season only.