The study was initiated to estimate the total quantity of foodgrains consumed for seed, feed and wastages and to estimate the net availability of foodgrains for human consumption in Punjab. The study was confined to two crops i.e. wheat (cereal) and mungbean (pulse) based on the area predomination in the state. Sample of 600 (300 wheat growers + 300 mungbeam growers) cultivators spreading over the four strata growing wheat and mungbean in Amritsar and Sangrur districts respectively was selected for the survey. The reference year of the study was 2004-05. The whole cropped area under wheat and mungbean on the sample holdings was found to be irrigated reflecting the fully developed irrigation network in the state. Seed requirements for wheat crop in terms of its proportion to the next production of wheat in sample district were 2.05 per cent, ranging between 1.85 per cent in stratum IV and 2.25 per cent in Stratum II. Similarly, in case of mungbean crop, seed requirement as per cent of the net production of mungbean crop came out as 2.10 per cent in sample district with 2.33 per cent in Stratum I, 1.95 per cent in Stratum II, 1.91 per cent in Stratum III and 2.36 per cent in Stratum IV of the sample area. Animal consumption of wheat as percentage of net production came out to be just 0.27 in the district ranging between 0.13 in Stratum III and 0.37 in Stratum IV of the district. In case of mungbean, these percentages were found to be 0.5 in the district varying between 0.33 in Stratum III and 0.83 in Stratum II. The animal consumption of mungbean constituted only 0.52 per cent of the total production in the district and the consumption of mungbean as percentage of net production of mungbean was found to be increasing with the increase in farm size i.e. 0.36 per cent on small farms, 0.44 per cent on medium farms and 0.57 per cent on the large farms. The total consumption of mungbean by poultry birds constituted only 0.07 percent in the Stratum I, 0.14 per cent in Stratum II, 0.12 per cent in Stratum III and 0.11 per cent in Stratum IV with an average of 0.11 per cent for the study area. Thus, only a minor portion of total grains (wheat and mungbean) production was fed to livestock in the study area. Total wastage at the harvesting stage has been estimated as 2.62, 1.94, 2.37 and 2.27 per cent of the net production in stratum I, II, III & IV respectively with an overall wastage of 2.30 per cent at harvesting stage in the sample area. Wastage of wheat was found to be 0.03 per cent, 0.10 per cent and 0.03 per cent at transportation stage, in home consumption and as leftover of animal feed of net production of wheat, respectively. The grain storage loss was found to be negligible in the sample area, reflecting the adequate awareness, due care taken and proper grain protection material used by the farmers in storage process. The total wheat wastage at harvest as well as various post-harvest stages taken together accounted for 2.76 per cent of net wheat production in stratum I, 2.14 per cent in stratum II, 2.50 per cent in stratum III and 2.44 per cent in stratum IV. Overall, such wastage was found to be 2.46 per cent of net wheat production in the study area. While comparing the percent harvest losses of net wheat production in different categories of the farms, it turned to be highest for small categories i.e. 3.44 per cent followed by 2.53 per cent on medium category. Minimum losses occurred on large holdings i.e. 2.05 per cent of the net wheat production. Major reason for these negative relationships of harvesting loss with the size of holding was that the small farmers usually harvested wheat mainly manually with sickles and used ordinary thresher for threshing, whereas the relatively larger farmers harvested and threshed their crop with sophisticated machinery like combine harvester resulting in saving some grains for the farmers. On the whole, in case of mungbean, the total wastage (harvesting stages and post/harvest stages) had been estimated as 1.04 per cent (0.91 at harvesting stages and 0.13 per cent at post-harvesting stages in the study area). Total wastage as proportion of net mungbean production had been worked out to be 1.35 per cent, 1.09 per cent and 0.93 per cent on small, medium and large farm size categories, respectively. The total quantity of wheat left for the availability for human consumption was 95.20 per cent of net wheat production (94.79 per cent in stratum I, 95.5 per cent in stratum II, 95.42 per cent in stratum III and 95.32 per cent in stratum IV) in the study area. Having deducted quantity of mungbean used as seed, feed and wastages, the quantity left for the availability of human consumption was 96.25 per cent of the net mungbean production (95.78 per cent in stratum I, 96.10 per cent in stratum II, 96.66 per cent in stratum III and 96.11 per cent in stratum IV). After deducting the wheat used as seed, feed and wheat wasted/lost at harvesting and post-harvesting stages, 95.20 per cent of the net wheat production was available for consumption (93.45 per cent on small farms, 94.85 per cent on medium farms and 95.59 per cent on large farms) in the study area. Likewise in case of mungbean 95.03 per cent of net mungbean production was available for human consumption on small farm, 96.23 per cent on medium farms and 97.07 per cent on large farms with an overall 96.25 per cent of net mungbean production available for human consumption.
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