Agriculture, as a primary sector plays a significant role in the development of a state since its main aim is to raise crop production for the nourishment of the increasing population. Though Punjab is a one of the smallest state with a total land area of only 0.33% of the world and 1.6% of the country yet it contributes to 1% of rice ,2% of the wheat and 2%of the cotton in the total world production vis-à-vis 42% rice ,55%wheat ,and 24% cotton production in the country . Punjab is one of the smallest states of India representing 1.6 per cent of its geographical area and 2.6 percent of it's cropped area. Punjab's geology has a far-reaching impact on its economy. The plains of Punjab was formed by the deposition of alluvium. It has deep and fertile soils. From geological and physiographic points Punjab is divisible into two regions: the hill region and the plain region.

            The hill region is very small and includes Shivalik Hills on the eastern side, moves through Hoshiarpur district toward west. More than 90 per cent of Punjab's area is a flat plain and is a segment of Indo-Gangetic plain. A very high proportion of the land is under cultivation because the Punjab plain is free from physical handicaps and deficiency of rainfall has been made up by irrigation facilities. It is only the districts of Ropar and Hoshiarpur that the cultivated area is less than 60 per cent of the total. It is in these districts that considerable land is covered by Shivalik Hills and the beds of seasonal streams that cannot be brought under cultivation.

             Wheat, Maize, Rice and Cotton are the important crops of the state. Wheat dominates the production amoung overall crop pattern. Rice is an important crop in Gurdaspur, Amritsar and Kapurthala districts. Cotton leads the production of cash crops of the state. Groundnut, Sugarcane and Potatoes being other crops. Punjab tops the production of Wheat in the country. It produces over 2 million tonnes of wheat every year.

            The impact of the Green Revolution (1966) is perhaps most affected the state of  Punjab .This has made the country self sufficient in the food needs, overcoming the dangerous situation of early sixties, when we had to import food grains. The state of Punjab has built up a system of services to support agricultural development. Briefly, these are the departments of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, the Punjab Agriculture University which provides a base for education, research and extension; and the Cooperative Department which provides credit to the farmers.

            The university situated in Ludhiana, has brought about a revolution in farming techniques and has contributed to increased agriculture production and improvement of the cultivators' economic status. This institution has developed high yielding varieties of wheat, rice, bajra and other crops which has spearheaded Punjab to make the state and the country self sufficient for many key crops.

             Intensive agriculture in Punjab started  at the beginning of 1960s under the guidance of the Punjab Agricultural University and high yielding varieties of the seed were introduced in the fields accompanied with an increased application of fertilizers ,insecticides ,improved agricultural practices ,new biotechnology methods and assured market  possibilities leading to Green revolution. Green revolution started in Punjab and later it spread into other parts of the country