In the next few weeks, sowing of rabi crops in many parts of India will come to an end. The latest agriculture ministry estimates show that barring oilseeds, acreage for most rabi crops has been better than last year, a direct fallout of the higher price that they have commanded and favourable weather in the later half of 2009. Though a significant increase in rabi output won?t be enough to wipe out the deficiency in kharif production, it will go a long way in ensuring that immediate supply shortages are pushed to the backburner.

Wheat, the largest foodgrain grown during the rabi season, has been planted in around 26.85 million hectares until the first week of January, just around 4,00,000 hectares less than last year. Some believe that this drop has largely been in Punjab and Haryana, traditionally among India?s biggest producers of the grain, though officials believe that this won?t have much of an impact on the final output, as the weather has been benign till now. Moreover, the shortage can be made up by the time sowing ends.

But the fall points to a more endemic problem faced by agriculture in Punjab and Haryana, which contribute almost 80% to the Centre?s annual foodgrain procurement. Steps should be taken to ensure that agriculture remains profitable for farmers in Punjab and Haryana.

Increasing MSP of foodgrains solves just a part of the problem. A more holistic approach should be adopted to solve the agrarian crisis facing the state. A recent study done by Chandigarh-based Institute of Development and Communication showed that during the period 1997-2008, farm debt in Punjab increased by 5 times. Ironically, commission agents and moneylenders are the largest players in the farm credit market of the state, followed by commercial banks?a sad commentary on the collapsing institutional credit system. Farm debt has grown from Rs 5,700.91 crore in 1997 to Rs 30,394.12 crore in 2008, the study shows. This, along with falling water tables and nutritional levels, is reason enough for an urgent response to save farming and agriculture in Punjab and Haryana.

Among other rabi crops, oilseeds? sowing has dropped by around 6,00,000 hectares to 8.59 million hectares till last week, while the area under rabi pulses is almost 7,35,000 hectares more than last year. A higher pulses crop coupled with government?s efforts to boost supplies through imports should ease price pressure in the next few months.

sanjeeb.mukherjee@expressindia.com