Productivity and profitability of major crops cultivated under monocropping vis-à-vis diversified conditions in India

Crop diversification suggests the cultivation of more than one crop simultaneously on farmland through efficient utilization of available resources for better returns on the one hand and biodiversity conservation on the other. The present study was undertaken to study the effect of crop diversification on the productivity and profitability of major crops of Punjab and Haryana, for which 100 respondents were interviewed from each state. It was evident that diversification led to a remarkable increase in productivity of paddy and wheat crops by 8.55 and 6.06 per cent in Punjab, while for Haryana, the respective gains were to the tune of 7.30 and 5.33 per cent. Therefore, diversification can be sought to increase the productivity and profitability of the farmers in Punjab and Haryana.