Punjab has made a commendable progress after Green Revolution. The food grain production has shown a big jump from 3162 thousand metric tons in 1960-61 to 25207 thousand metric tons in 1999-2000. The initial increase in the production was mainly due to increase in the area under cultivation without much use of chemical inputs. In contrast during the post high yielding varieties (HYVs) era, i.e. 1971 to 2001 the net area virtually remained static. A spectacular rise of 17902 thousand metric tons in food grain production from 1971 to 2000 has largely came due to intensive use of inputs like fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides and herbicides by the Punjab farmers.

 Unfortunately, the gains resulting from these practices have not been without their consequent environmental costs The excessive and non-judicious use of chemicals inputs leads to environment degradation such that Land degradation, Air Pollution, Water Pollution etc. The excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers have led to their accumulation in different component of the environment. The water run off from agriculture lands pollutes lakes and streams causing eutrophication. The increased emission of green house gases due to burning of crop residues and energy intensive agricultural practices are likely to accelerate climatic changes having large bearing on the sustainability of agriculture. In Punjab alone, near about 12 lac tons of paddy straw is burnt in paddy fields. The smoke causes several respiratory diseases like asthma and bronchitis. The use of modern technology also added many new sources of pollution.

 What follows is a brief outline of Punjab's use of agricultural inputs, followed by a description of the environment pollution that has resulted due to them.