Impact Assessment of Crop Diversification in Haryana: A Case Study

Crop diversification is a technique in which the monoculture is minimizing, and farmers intend to grow more than one crop, which is profitable. Variovarieties of crops are increasing in the broader area to reduce the risk of one crop's failure. Shifting of crop growing from traditional less remunerative to better remunerative crop is generally perceived in crop diversification. Due to government intervention or policies, crop shifting (diversification) is followed in thrust areas and crops. For example, the creation of the Technology Mission on Oilseeds (T.M.O.) gives a direction to oilseed production. The country can become self-sufficient in oilseed crops and, hence, can minimize the oilseed import. Various other factors like the remunerative price for multiple crops, market infrastructure, research and development, further support of the local government, incentives of geography-based crop growing are essential reasons to induce crop diversification. Farmers are adopting new techniques and high-yielding and high-value crops like spices nowadays. During the initial fifteen years of the green revolution, food grain production in Haryana increased at a 5.33 percent compound rate of growth compared to the national average of 2.77 percent. Paddy and wheat increased by 12.47 percent and 8.93 percent, respectively, whereas pulses and oilseeds observed a sharp fall of 5.12 percent and 0.64 percent, respectively, during the same period. New innovative methods have been raised for commercial farming as compared to the existing traditional agriculture. But the modernization led to the expensiveness of the input factor. Subsidized electricity increased the M.S.P. of paddy but increased the risk of sustainability. Flat rate subsidy of electricity increased the monoculture of wheat and paddy, and malpractice of water depletion, climate change, and sustainability was at high risk. These negative externalities have increased (Sangwan 1985, Ghuman 2017, Shah and Chowdhury 2017).