ABSTRACT
Punjab, one of the richest states of the country, primarily continues to thrive on its agricultural base. In spite of the propitious agricultural indicators and environment, productivity in the state agriculture has either stagnated or deteriorated. Besides stagnating productivity and dwindling returns due to escalating input costs, the noncompetitiveness of the state agriculture is further exposed due to harsh World Trade Organisation norms facing it in the open markets. Though agriculture happens to be a state subject, the state government has so far done precious little as far as agricultural research is concerned, and has largely shifted the responsibility for agricultural transformation on the central agencies like Indian Council of Agricultural Research. In the framework of a sparse plan allocation for the overall S&T development in the state, the nonchalant treatment for agricultural research is further reflected in an alarmingly trivial allocation for this activity in the Plan outlay.
