In this new era of modernity and industrialization, urbanization is accelerating in Punjab, but the area available for agriculture is also shrinking. Dr. Sukhpal Singh, Chairman of the Farmers and Agricultural Workers Commission, stated that the area under cultivation in Punjab is declining. Urbanization has accelerated in Punjab, impacting agricultural acreage. Rural people are abandoning their traditional occupation of farming and migrating to cities, and cities are expanding. A new report indicates that Punjab’s agricultural land has decreased by 30,000 acres due to urbanization.
On the other hand, the available land for agriculture in Haryana has increased by 150,000 acres. Even though cities like Gurugram have become metropolises, Haryana’s agricultural acreage has not decreased in the last five years. While Punjab’s fertile farmlands are becoming urban areas, Haryana has not yet experienced such urbanization. Punjab’s cultivated area was 4.238 million hectares in 2019-20, which decreased to 4.226 million hectares by 2023-24.
In the same period, Haryana’s cultivated area increased from 3.794 million hectares in 2020 to 3.853 million hectares in 2023-24. This trend continues. In Punjab, cities have expanded in Mohali, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Bathinda, and Patiala districts. Colonies have sprung up outside these cities, reducing farmland. In recent years, a network of roads has been laid in Punjab, and land has been acquired for national highways. Mini-markets are being built along the new roads, reducing agricultural land.
Furthermore, it has been observed that agricultural land has also been used for non-agricultural purposes in recent years. Land prices have risen, and farmers are abandoning agriculture and adopting alternative livelihoods. Punjab still cultivates 3.2 million hectares of rice and 3.5 million hectares of wheat. Punjab still supplies the largest amount of rice and wheat to the nation’s grain reserves. This is undoubtedly the result of the hard work of Punjabi farmers. However, given the rapid spread of modernity in Punjab’s villages, we must be vigilant so that the importance of agriculture in Punjab is not diminished and it maintains its status as the nation’s treasury state.