Competition catching up

Even as Punjab needs effort to rejuvenate its farm sector, others are catching up, some even inching ahead. Wheat production in Madhya Pradesh, UP and Rajasthan has increased at a fast pace. In the current rabi season, target of wheat contribution to the central pool fixed by MP is 130 lakh tonnes; the state has announced aims of surpassing Punjab soon.

Even as Punjab needs effort to rejuvenate its farm sector, others are catching up, some even inching ahead. Wheat production in Madhya Pradesh, UP and Rajasthan has increased at a fast pace. In the current rabi season, target of wheat contribution to the central pool fixed by MP is 130 lakh tonnes; the state has announced aims of surpassing Punjab soon.

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"We cannot stop them, we have to ready ourselves for competition," says Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) vice-chancellor Dr BS Dhillon. MP, in fact, raised contribution from 55 LT of wheat in 2010-11 to 85 LT a year later.

Similarly, consumer states like Odisha, Bihar and Assam have started contributing rice to the central pool - 70 LT in the last procurement season, and rising still.

A beginning has been made, and the eastern states are witnessing their Green revolution only now.