Punjab, once known as India's food bowl, has lost its position as the second-highest cereal producer by output value. A Moneycontrol analysis of data released on Friday showed that it ceded the spot to Madhya Pradesh in FY22 and has since fallen further behind.
West Bengal, the fourth-largest cereal producer until FY22, has dropped to fifth place, overtaken by Telangana.
One of the most striking developments in the Indian agricultural landscape is the meteoric rise of Telangana. Over the past decade, it has emerged as the fastest-growing major state in terms of cereal output. With an annual average growth rate of 9.6% between FY12 and FY23, it has outpaced the national average of 2% by a significant margin.
“Telangana has invested heavily in irrigation infrastructure, building large reservoirs and check dams in addition to putting effective water management initiatives like the Mission Kakatiya into action. This has led to an increase in the amount of water available for agricultural use in an area with a semi-arid climate,” said Vishal Dagar, assistant professor, Great Lakes Institute of Management, Gurugram.
When it comes to growth rates, the disparities are stark. While Madhya Pradesh has shown a robust growth of 7.6% over the past decade, Punjab and West Bengal have lagged, expanding at a mere 0.7% and 1.1% respectively. This data underscores the shifting positions of states in cereal production.
Uttar Pradesh, which has the highest cereal output among all states, also grew at 1.1%, recording an output of Rs 70,860.4 crore in FY23.
Losing ground
In wheat, Punjab has been ceding ground to Madhya Pradesh since FY20.
Wheat output of the northern state has shrunk 0.3% annually over the past decade. It has expanded 6.6% annually for Madhya Pradesh. Punjab's wheat output, calculated at FY12 prices, was Rs 10,000 crore lower than Madhya Pradesh in FY23, a stark contrast to FY12, when it was Rs 7,000 crore higher.
Punjab has done better in the case of paddy, with the value of produce expanding by 1.9% annually between FY12 and FY23.
Telangana, which replaced Punjab as the third highest state in terms of value, grew at 10.8% during this period to Rs 25,562 crore.
Experts indicate that initiatives like drip irrigation, precision farming, and the employment of modern farm equipment have also helped Telangana increase its output faster.
It even surpassed West Bengal in FY23, which was the second-highest rice-producing state for the last decade.
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