Land degradation in India despite boom in Agricultural Productivity
Niti Aayog index shows agriculture booming in Punjab & Haryana, but environment paying price
Punjab & Haryana are among the states that fare poorly on the use of harmful nitrogenous fertilisers and groundwater, according to the Niti Aayog India Index 2021.
Some of the states that have topped the parameters for farm productivity and agricultural growth in the Niti Aayog Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index 2021 have also fared the worst on two other key yardsticks: Use of fertilisers harmful to human health, and groundwater depletion.
These include Punjab and Haryana, which are among India’s leading producers of wheat and rice, the benchmark foodgrains for the index
Their performance suggests the states are making progress in pushing the growth of agriculture, but probably at the expense of the environment. Both states have an open-procurement policy that sees the states purchase at MSP all the wheat and rice brought by farmers for the central pool.
The Niti Aayog index seeks to track India’s performance with regard to the SDGs set by the United Nations, with 2030 as the deadline to achieve them. The latest edition of the report, which outlines the performance of states and union territories against different parameters, was released last week. It covers 17 SDGs and 169 targets.
The four parameters taken into account for this report are agricultural productivity of foodgrains (in kilogram/hectare) and gross value added (GVA) in agriculture (in lakh/worker) on the one hand, and fertiliser and groundwater consumption on the other.
The first two come under the second SDG, which aims to end all forms of hunger and malnutrition by 2030 and calls for promoting sustainable agriculture, supporting small-scale farmers, and equal access to land, technology, and markets. Fertiliser consumption comes under the 12th SDG, which aims at resource efficiency, green economies, and sustainable infrastructure by focusing on reducing degradation and pollution and minimising waste.
Groundwater is a part of the sixth SDG, which deals with clean water and sanitation.
Source: https://theprint.in/india/governance/niti-aayog-index-shows-agriculture-booming-in-punjab-haryana-but-environment-paying-price/674710/?utm_source=JioNews&