Income and Consumption Pattern of Punjab Cultivators

The threat to food security arises from purchasing power of the population groups. Mere availability of food does not guarantee nutritional security to all. Punjab has witnessed tremendous increase in production and productivity of cereal crops in the wake of adoption of new technology. It was found maximum on mechanized farms and least in case of non-mechanized farms. However, net returns were found to be positive in all the three categories under study, though in case of bullock operated farms, maximum proportion of total income was accruing to non-farm sources. Food has emerged as the main component of domestic expenditure in all the three categories, though its proportion decreased at higher level of mechanization. Within food segment, milk and milk products, wheat and sugar have shown a higher share in total food expenditure. The value of food items furnished by the farm itself was found to be higher on semi-mechanized farms and mechanized farms as compared to non-mechanized farms. In case of wheat consumption, the main staple diet of Punjab, 91 per cent was self produced in all the categories. The nutritional status of selected cultivators when compared with Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) depicted a similar pattern across the categories with a bias towards high energy food items like cereals, milk and fats, but was deficit in porteinous and protective food materials like fish, meat, eggs etc.