Punjab consumes 9 per cent of the whole fertilisers used in the country despite accounting for 1.53% area of the country.

Written by Anju Agnihotri Chaba.

After observing several people in rural areas suffering from deadly diseases a couple of years ago, Talwinder Singh, in his 30s from Nauli village in Jalandhar, began growing organic food for his family. Farming on 74 acres—11 of which are his own—Talwinder dedicated half an acre exclusively for organic produce for his family. He cultivates vegetables and grains, including Basmati and wheat, using cow dung manure and traditional practices.

“Though I have set aside half an acre for growing organic food for self-consumption, this year I cultivated 1121 Basmati on one acre using only cow dung manure. I harvested around 11 quintals, which is less than the 16-17 quintals I typically get using chemical farming methods,” he said. When a fungal attack threatened the crop, he applied sour buttermilk as a natural remedy.

Talwinder is confident that organic farming can produce yields comparable to conventional chemical methods over time but acknowledges that it will take years restoring soil fertility after years of chemical use. “If I get a market for organic food and some compensation for a few years until my production through organic farming reaches the level of chemical farming, I would go organic for all my land,” he said.

Talwinder adds that in the remaining field he uses urea and DAP. “When I saw that how few farmers of his area were growing vegetables, using harmful and dangerous fertilizers and pesticides to boost yields for the market, I was horrified. Table potatoes, which are ready in just two months, are doused with poisonous sprays by some farmers to accelerate growth,” he said, adding that the residue of such sprays remains for weeks in the crop even when its consumed.

“Organic crops fetch higher prices, but needs a proper market as only health conscious people will go for it while lower middle class and poor families cannot afford it,” he adds. This lack of demand forces farmers to prioritise higher-yield conventional crops to pay land rents.”

Similar is the story of Dalbir Singh from Bagrohi village in Hoshiarpur, who also adopted organic farming for his family. On about two acres, he grows wheat, rice, and vegetables without chemical inputs for his joint family while using fertilizers and pesticides on over 150 acres for commercial use. “We ensure chemical-free food for our family. But for the market, we have to use fertilizers to meet yield expectations. Organic foods have lower yields, which makes them expensive and requires a proper market, without which growing them for commercial purposes is not viable.”

In Punjab, a growing number of farmers are cultivating organic food without pesticides or chemical fertilizers—primarily for their own consumption. While they value the health benefits and ecological impact of chemical-free farming, market realities prevent them from adopting organic practices on a larger commercial scale. As a result, many farmers are taking a dual approach: dedicating a portion of their land to organic food for personal use while relying on conventional farming to meet economic demands.

Raghbir Singh, a from Mukerian in Hoshiarpur, adds that he has set aside around two kanals (one-fourth of an acre) from his total five acres to grow vegetables and pulses for his family. “For wheat and rice, I use produce from my chemically grown crops, though I avoid excessive chemicals on my remaining fields,” he says, adding, “Vegetables have a short crop duration and are perishable. Overuse of fertilizers and pesticides in vegetables persists for weeks.”

While farmers like Talwinder talks about having a organised market for it, Gurmukh Singh from Gurdaspur offers a different perspective. He says he began growing organic food a few years ago and, with proper marketing, discovered a huge potential for organic produce—not just in Punjab but across the country.

“I have been educating several farmers to start growing organic food, even on a small portion of their land for their families initially. They can expand later because organicfarming has immense potential. While not everyone can afford organic food, there is still a substantial demand for it, provided the produce is genuine,” he said.

He suggested that government intervention, subsidies, and awareness campaigns could help establish a reliable demand for organic produce. “If even a fraction of Punjab’s farmers start growing organic food for their families, it will be a significant step toward healthier living,” he says.

Jagsir Singh, a farm leader from Jhumba village in Bathinda, highlighted the increasing adoption of organic farming in his area. “In our village, around 30% of farmers are growing vegetables organically because cancer cases are rising here. Many believe that pesticide-laden vegetables are a major cause of these illnesses,” he said.

Punjab’s fertilizer consumption

Punjab’ fertiliser consumption was 247.61 kg per hectare during 2023-24, significantly higher than the national average of 139.81 kg per hectare according to the Union ministry for Chemicals and Fertilisers.

Punjab consumes 9 per cent of the whole fertilisers used in the country despite accounting for 1.53% area of the country. According to the Chemical and Fertiliser Ministry, Punjab’s urea consumption increased from 28.30 lakh tonne in 2020-21 to 29.25 lakh tonne in 2022-23, and NPK usage rose from 0.76 lakh tonne to 1.70 lakh tonne in the same period. However, DAP usage decreased from 8.25 lakh tonnes to 7.25 lakh tonnes. Farmers attribute the high fertiliser consumption in Punjab to the Green Revolution, which promoted increased fertiliser use to boost productivity and meet the country’s food grain requirement — a claim supported by historical records.

For instance, Punjab government data show fertiliser usage in the Rabi season, which includes wheat, grams, oil seeds and vegetables, was just 0.005 lakh tonnes (500 tonnes) in 1960-61. But this figure increased dramatically over decades, reaching 2.13 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) in 1970-71, following the Green Revolution in 1966-67, 7.62 LMT in 1980-81, 12.2 LMT in 1990-91, 13.13 LMT in 2000-01, 19.11 LMT in 2010-11 and 21 LMT in 2019-2020. The figure indicates fertiliser consumption by Rabi crops in Punjab, primarily wheat, increased nearly 4,200-fold over decades.

In Punjab, approximately 5,000 acres of farmland are under organiccertification. Organic food is cultivated in compliance with national and international organic production standards and certified by globally recognized agencies. However, only a few hundred farmers in Punjab grow organic produce for commercial purposes..

Director of Punjab Agriculture Department, Jaswant Singh, said, “Farmers are becoming aware about the harmful effects of the overdose of fertilisers and pesticides and several of them are growing chemical free food for their own families.

Published Date: December 24, 2024