Ludhiana:
The country stares at an impending drought with widespread monsoon failure causing deep concern. In a surprising contrast, parts of Punjab, the granary of India, may actually end up growing more food grain than normal monsoon years - a startling claim made by Professor BS Dhillon, vice chancellor of Punjab Agriculture University (PAU), Ludhiana. PAU pioneered the first Green Revolution, so this statement has a lot of credibility.
Speaking to NDTV, the noted agriculture scientist said farmers in Punjab will use ground water to overcome the rain deficit, so the cost of production of paddy will go up but the yield will not come down.
He adds "India is well placed to handle droughts as it has braced three droughts in the current century." Professor Dhillon admits "it is no doubt a drought" but adds India will overcome the problem because at least north-west India has 98 per cent irrigated land so here the current drought will have no impact on crop yields, at least in Punjab, Haryana and parts of western Uttar Pradesh.
Professor Dhillon, who is a highly-regarded agriculture scientist, says "in drought years rice productivity actually increases in north-west India because rice plants do better during the increased number of sunny days." As a consequence the productivity will actually be higher, as compared to cloudy over cast conditions that occasionally cut out the sunlight during normal monsoon years, he adds.
He asserts "there will be no short fall in food production in Punjab. Rice production will 'actually increase' but so will the cost of production and the economy will obviously pay a price but starvation and food shortages may not happen." However, he admits that the rest of India, where rain fed agriculture is the norm, will suffer.