Correct option is D
Correct Answer: D) Punjab
Explanation:
Punjab has the highest fertilizer consumption per hectare in India, primarily because of its extensive agricultural practices and high-yield crop systems. The state's fertile land and reliance on irrigation-intensive farming for crops like wheat and rice drive the heavy usage of fertilizers to maximize productivity.
Key Points:
- Fertilizer Consumption: Punjab's fertilizer consumption is the highest in India, with an average usage exceeding 200 kg per hectare, significantly above the national average.
- Reason for High Consumption:
- Punjab follows the Green Revolution model, which involves heavy use of fertilizers and irrigation for crops like wheat and rice.
- Intensive farming practices require large amounts of nutrients to sustain high crop yields.
- Impact: While the high usage of fertilizers boosts agricultural output, it also leads to environmental concerns like soil degradation and water pollution.
Information Booster:
- Haryana: Though Haryana also has high fertilizer consumption, it is slightly lower than Punjab.
- West Bengal: Fertilizer usage in West Bengal is moderate due to diverse cropping systems and different soil conditions.
- Andhra Pradesh: Fertilizer consumption is significant but not as high as Punjab due to the variation in cropping patterns across regions.
- Punjab: Known as the "Granary of India," its intensive use of fertilizers is crucial to its agricultural dominance but poses sustainability challenges.
Additional Knowledge:
- The all-India per-hectare consumption of fertilizers for the year 2023-24 is around 139.81 Kg, whereas the per-hectare consumption of fertilizers for Punjab for the year 2023-24 is around 247.61 Kg,