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Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur
The history of agricultural education in Kerala can be traced back to the year 1896 when a scheme was evolved in the erstwhile Travancore State to train a few young men in scientific agriculture at the Demonstration Farm, Karamana, Thiruvananthapuram, presently, the Cropping Systems Research Centre under Kerala Agricultural University. Agriculture was introduced as an optional subject in the middle school classes in the State in 1922 when an Agricultural Middle School was started at Aluva, Ernakulam District. The popularity and usefulness of this school led to the starting of similar institutions at Kottarakkara and Konni in 1928 and 1931 respectively.
Agriculture was later introduced as an optional subject for Intermediate Course in 1953. In 1955, the erstwhile Government of Travancore-Cochin started the Agricultural College and Research Institute at Vellayani, Thiruvananthapuram and the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at Mannuthy, Thrissur for imparting higher education in agricultural and veterinary sciences, respectively. These institutions were brought under the direct administrative control of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Animal Husbandry, respectively. With the formation of Kerala State in 1956, these two colleges were affiliated to the University of Kerala. The post-graduate programmes leading to M.Sc. (Ag), M.V.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees were started in 1961, 1962 and 1965 respectively.
On the recommendation of the Second National Education Commission (1964-66) headed by Dr. D.S. Kothari, the then Chairman of the University Grants Commission, one Agricultural University in each State was established. The State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) were established in India as an integral part of the National Agricultural Research System to give the much needed impetus to Agriculture Education and Research in the Country. As a result the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) was established on 24th February 1971 by virtue of the Act 33 of 1971 and started functioning on 1st February 1972. The Kerala Agricultural University is the 15th in the series of the SAUs.
In accordance with the provisions of KAU Act of 1971, the Agricultural College and Research Institute at Vellayani, and the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, were brought under the Kerala Agricultural University. In addition, twenty one agricultural and animal husbandry research stations were also transferred to the KAU for taking up research and extension programmes on various crops, animals, birds, etc.
During 2011, Kerala Agricultural University was trifurcated into Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU), Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) and Kerala Agricultural University (KAU).
Now the University has seven colleges (four Agriculture, one Agricultural Engineering, one Forestry, one Co-operation Banking & Management), six RARSs, seven KVKs, 15 Research Stations and 16 Research and Extension Units under the faculties of Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering and Forestry. In addition, one Academy on Climate Change Adaptation and one Institute of Agricultural Technology offering M.Sc. (Integrated) Climate Change Adaptation and Diploma in Agricultural Sciences respectively are also functioning in Kerala Agricultural University.
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ThesisItem Open Access Performance analysis of agro-processing self-help groups in Thrissur district(Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2007) Lina, Joy; KAU; Prema, AThe present study on the "Performance analysis of agro-processing Self Help Groups in Thrissur district” was conducted to study the functioning of Self help Groups (SHGs), to identify the factors determining effective functioning and to study the constraints faced by the SHGs and provide suggestions for effective functioning. The study was taken up among Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojna (SGSY) SHGs in Thrissur district. Five blocks having maximum percentage of agro-processing SHGs were selected. The activities undertaken by the agro-processing SHGs were classified under four groups i.e. fish processing, copra processing, powder making and ready to eat items making Group characteristics as the indicators of performance studied were group cohesion, group decision-making, group leadership, team spirit and maintenance of records. Copra processing unit obtained the highest rank in group characteristics. Profile characteristics studied were information seeking behaviour, innovativeness, risk orientation, economic motivation, management orientation, attitude towards self employment, knowledge about processing and market perception Powder making units were having the highest rank in profile characters Non performing groups showed the lowest score in both the group characteristics and in the profile characteristics Correlation analysis between group and profile characteristics revealed that management orientation was the major socio-economic variable affecting the group performance. Marketing channel for all the categories showed the lack of adequate forward and backward linkages. All the categories marketed their products within the district only. Packaging and traveling expense were the main items of the marketing cost Lack of common retail outlet for SHG products was the major constraint faced by SHGs in their marketing Cost of material input and labour cost were the main items in working capital of each category The copra processing units were having highest BC ratio (2.26) BC ratio of all the performing units were more than unity which indicated that all the units studied were running in profit The units were receiving a subsidy of 50 percent loan taken and they also received Rs10000 as revolving fund. All the units studied were having more than Rs 30,000 as thrift. The major constraints faced by the SHGs were the lack of concession regarding lending rate and lack of any aid from panchayat.ThesisItem Open Access Integrated pest management in rice production: resource use efficiency and relative economics(Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2005) Saijyothi, D; KAU; Indira Devi, PThe present study entitled Integrated Pest Management in rice production: resource use efficiency and relative economics, was conducted in Kuttanad region of Kerala, India with the specific objectives of evaluating the economics of IPM technology over the traditional practice and to assess the resource use efficiency. The study pertaining to the summer crop in the area (November 2004 to February 2005) was undertaken during March to July 2005 A sample of 70 farmers each from IPM and Non-IPM category were selected by conducting a preliminary survey to categorise the farmers under each group. The production details of paddy were gathered from both the groups using a pretested structured questionnaire by personal interview method. The management under IPM programme starts from the very beginning of the crop calendar, starting with the varietal selection, its source, seed rate and method of planting. Though both types of farms were sowing only recommended varieties, seed rate was much above the recommended level in the case of non IPM group and they primarily relied on farm saved seeds. It was the reverse in the case of IPM farms. The level of application of fertilizers and soil ameliorants was lower in the case of IPM farms. Among the various inputs in crop production, labour was the most important single item of expenditure in paddy production. The total labour use in IPM farms was found to be 75 man-days per hectare i.e., 5.63 per cent higher than that of Non-IPM farms (71 man days per hectare). This is primarily due to the additional labour required in IPM farms for weeding (due to lesser amount of weedicide use), land preparation (additional ploughing), harvesting (higher yield) and IPM measures. Thus the total expenditure on seeds and sowing, fertilizer application and plant protection charges were 67.15 per cent higher in the Non-IPM group. Contrary to this, the expenditure on land preparation, weeding and harvesting operations together, were 11.93 per cent higher in IPM group. Total cost of cultivation was estimated as 5.07 per cent higher in Non-IPM group (Rs31536/ha) compared to IPM group (Rs 29841/ha) Apart from the cost saving, relatively higher yield (45.23 quintals per hectare) was also there in IPM farms compared to the other group.(44.46 quintals per hectare). The partial budgeting analysis have revealed that the cost saving coupled with higher yield realization in IPM farms has resulted in an additional net private gain in income to the tune of Rs 2824 per hectare Benefit cost ratio at Cost A1 was estimated as 1.85 (Non-IPM) and it was 2.06 for IPM farms inferring rice cultivation under IPM, as more beneficial than chemical based cultivation. At cost C3 level, the non IPM groups were more prone to risk as the BC Ratio was very close to unity Cobb-Douglas production function was fitted to assess the efficiency of resource use in paddy cultivation for both IPM and Non-IPM farms. It could be concluded that IPM farms were economically more efficient in resource utilization than the Non-IPM counter parts. Though most of the farmers were aware of the potential hazards of excessive chemical use in agriculture, and got exposed to adequate training, the spread of the technology is constrained by factors like, the perception of a yield loss, difficulties in water management and labour problems. But those who have adopted the technology was found to be aware of the short-term nature of yield reduction and cost saving aspects of the technology. The policy suggestions are made based on the findings and future line of work is also suggested.ThesisItem Open Access Price behaviour of coconut and coconut products in India(Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Horticulture,Vellanikkara, 2005) Jaisal Babu N; Sathees BabuThe coconut-based industry in India revolves around the price behaviour of coconut oil, which in turn depends on the price and overall availability of other vegetable oils. It is against this background that the study entitled "Price behaviour of coconut and coconut products in India" was undertaken with the specific objective to study the secular trend, seasonality and irregular movements in the price of coconut and major coconut products in India, and to assess the implications of liberalized exim policies. The study was conducted during the year 2004-05, using secondary data. It was found that an exponential growth model gave the best fit for area and production of coconut where as a quadratic form turned out to be the best fit for yield. The analysis showed that the area and production in the long run exhibited an increasing trend, while the productivity was highly fluctuating . • There was a clear shift in the export basket of coconut products, with coconut • oil cake being the major item exported in the sixties, which is now occupied by coconut oil and coir products. Similarly, copra was the major item of import in the sixties, which is now occupied by coconut oil. The price behaviour of coconut and its• products were studied using the , . classical time series analysis. The prices of coconut, copra and coconut oil had a tendency to increase in the long run. The domestic price of copra and coconut oil was higher than the international price during theperiod under study, The domestic markets were well integrated for coconut products under consideration on the one hand, with the international market on the other hand. There were marked seasonal variations in the pnces of coconut and its products, with coconut prices remaining low during the months of peak production and high when production was low. The peaking and depression were found to have advanced by one or two months in the post WTO period. Price cycles of three to four years were observed iri all the three domestic • markets studied for coconut, copra and coconut oil. It was also interesting to note that the amplitude of cycle was found to wane in the post WTO period of the study. There was wide spread irregular movements in the price of coconut and its products under reference. There were indications than the irregular movements contributed to higher price fluctuations. The study of export competitiveness of copra and coconut oil using the . nominal protection coefficient revealed that both copra and coconut oil are not trade competitive in tht« international market at the existing price levels. The policy analysis with regard to edible oil sector in general and the coconut sector in particular showed that the general policy. regimes and instruments of Government of India were distinctly different with regard to. the edible oil sector in general and tliat of coconut oil and palm oil in particular. The import duty structure was found to be inadequate to regulate the surge of imports of palm oil and its variants from 1994 to 2003, calling for rationalization of the import duty structure.ThesisItem Open Access Impact assessment of cluster approach in integrated coconut management(Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2008) Swapna, Surendran; KAU; Thomas, E KCluster approach in integrated coconut management is a programme implemented by the Coconut Development Board in which a contiguous area extending up to 25 hectares is registered as a cluster. Landholdings ranging from five cents to four acres, accommodating one to 200 palms are included in the cluster and the scheme envisages a financial assistance up to Rs 7000 per acre for two consecutive years. The programme was implemented on a pilot basis in the year 2005-06 in four clusters of Alappuzha district viz. Kanjikuzhy, Pattanakkadu, Uzhuva and Muthukulam. The study was intended to assess the trend in area, production and productivity of coconut in Kerala as well as Alappuzha district and to assess the changes in coconut crop status and income status of farmer groups. Simple random sampling technique was adopted for the selection of respondent farmers from all the four clusters viz. Kanjikuzhy, Pattanakkadu, Uzhuva and Muthukulam. From each cluster, 40 farmers were selected at random, making a total sample size of 160. After collection of data, the selected sample was post stratified into two classes based on the cultivable area. Class I included farmers having cultivable area up to 50 cents and Class II accommodated the farmers having cultivable area above 50 cents. For analyzing the trend in area, production and productivity of coconut in Kerala and Alappuzha district, data from 1975-76 to 2005-06 and 1983-84 to 2005-06 respectively were collected from the records of Coconut Development Board. Data for Alappuzha district were collected from 1983-84 onwards, prior to which Pathanamthitta was a part of Alappuzha. For studying the trend in area, production and productivity, the whole period was divided into sub-periods: Pre-WTO period (1975-76 to 1994-95) and Post-WTO period (1995-96 to 2005-06). In the case of Alappuzha district, the Pre-WTO period extended from 1983-84 onwards. Growth rates were estimated by using exponential model for the whole period and kinked exponential model for the sub-periods. In Kerala, the growth rate of production (2.7 per cent) showed a positive and increasing trend and was equally contributed by area (1.37 per cent) and productivity (1.38 per cent) during the whole period. In Pre-WTO period, growth in production (1.86 per cent) was attributed to expansion in area (1.18 per cent), even when the growth in productivity (0.82 per cent) was stagnant, whereas in Post-WTO period, the effect of productivity (2.17 per cent) was more pronounced, compared to growth in area (1.04 per cent) which resulted in a commendable growth in production (3.15 per cent). In case of Alappuzha district, growth in production (1.1 per cent) was more or less equally contributed by expansion of area (0.48 per cent) and growth in productivity (0.63 per cent) for the whole period. The increasing trend of production in Pre-WTO period was mainly due to expansion in area (1.68 per cent) even when the growth rate of productivity (-0.36 per cent) showed a negative trend whereas in Post-WTO period, the growth in production (0.54 per cent) was stagnant, which was mainly due to the decline in area (-1.12 per cent). Shift in cropping pattern and cropping intensity were studied and it was found that the area under coconut increased in absolute terms though it showed a decline in relative terms during the post-project period when compared to the pre-project period which was due to the more proportion of area brought under intercrops cultivation. Cropping intensity also showed a slight increase in the post-project period compared to earlier and the increase was from 108 to 109 per cent for the overall sample. After the project implementation, gross expenses showed an increase of about 23 percent due to the increased cultivation of intercrops and scientific management practices followed in the coconut gardens. Yield of coconut showed a slight increase. It is expected in a perennial crop like coconut when more time is required for getting stabilized yield. Gross returns also showed an increase of 17.9 percent, due to the increase in crop productivity as well as additional returns realized from cultivation of intercrops and also due to the increased selling of tender nuts and seed nuts. During the project period, the Coconut Development Board spent an amount of Rs 14.32 lakhs towards the implementation of the programme. It could generate Rs 17.49 lakhs worth additional benefit to the society through enhanced productivity and additional income generation alone. There were indirect impacts like additional employment generation and commissioning of ancillary units, which could not be quantified. Once these indirect benefits are also accounted, the social gains could be much higher. The major constraints experienced in the programme were lack of marketing facilities and unavailability of skilled labour for harvesting and plant protection.ThesisItem Open Access Production and marketing of vegetables in Palakkad district(Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2005) Sreela, P; KAU; Thomas, E KThe present study on the economic analysis of production and marketing of vegetables in Palakkad district was aimed at analyzing the economics of vegetables viz; bittergourd, snakegourd and ivy gourd and to assess the technical efficiency, marketing efficiency and constraints faced by the vegetable growers. The study was conducted in Nemmara block of Palakkad district, which was one of the major vegetable growing belts in the district having a larger proportion of area under bittergourd, snakegourd and ivy gourd when compared to other vegetables. A sample of 60 growers for each vegetable was selected. Two stage random sampling procedure was adopted for the study and percentage analysis was used to analyse the data. The profitability was estimated using ABC cost concepts and technical efficiency was estimated using stochastic frontier production function of Cobb Douglas form. Bulkline costs were calculated for the three vegetables. Marketing efficiency was worked out using Shepherd’s formula. Total expenditure at Cost C3 at aggregate level was Rs.105717, Rs.103277, Rs.137498 and Rs.98711 for bittergourd, snakegourd, ivy gourd-main crop and ivy gourd-ratoon crop respectively. The explicit costs, which included all the paid out costs, were Rs.55027, Rs.54293, Rs.72934 and Rs.38217 respectively for the three vegetables. The outputs per hectare were 23721 kg/ha, 23999 kg/ha, 19364 kg/ha and 16764 kg/ha respectively in the case of bittergourd, snakegourd, ivy gourd (main crop) and ivy gourd (ratoon crop). The total value of output per hectare of these vegetables were 1.86 lakh, 1.17 lakh,1.36 lakh and1.17 lakh rupees in the respective order. Cost of production per quintal of bittergourd were Rs.226, Rs.247, Rs.226, Rs.261, Rs.370 Rs.405 and Rs.446 per quintal in the respective order for cost A1, cost A2, cost B1, cost B2, cost C1 cost C2 and C3. These costs were observed in the respective order as Rs.226, Rs.247, Rs.226, Rs.261, Rs.359, Rs.391 and Rs.430 in the case of snakegourd. An amount of Rs.344, Rs.375, Rs.344, Rs.473, Rs.516, Rs.646 and Rs.710 respectively were spent to produce one quintal of ivy gourd-main crop on the above costs. The corresponding figures for ivy gourd-ratoon crop were Rs.234, Rs.269, Rs.234, Rs.383, Rs.386 Rs.535 and Rs.589. Bulkline cost per quintal for bittergourd, snakegourd, ivy gourd (main crop) and ivy gourd (ratoon crop) were Rs.508, Rs.484, Rs.852 and Rs.768 respectively. The net income for bittergourd, snakegourd and ivy gourd (main crop) and ivy gourd (ratoon crop) were Rs.80478, Rs. 13288, Rs. –1951 and Rs.18636 respectively. At cost C3 level, benefit cost ratio of bittergourd and snakegourd were 1.76 and 1.13 in the respective order. The corresponding figures for ivy gourd-main crop and ivy gourd-ratoon crop were 0.99 and 1.16 respectively. Bittergourd had the highest BC ratio (3.38) at paid out cost level followed by ivygourd-ratoon crop (3.07), snakegourd (2.15) and ivy gourd-main crop (1.86) For bittergourd, snakegourd and ivy gourd, mean technical efficiencies were 0.85,0.91 and 0.58 respectively when land was included as one of the variables. In the case where mounds were added as a variable instead of land, mean technical efficiencies were worked out to be 0.88 for bittergourd and 0.92 for both snakegourd and ivy gourd. Technical efficiency of the individual farms varied widely between 30 and 100 per cent. The channel, Producer – VFPCK market – wholesaler – Retailer– consumer, was the most important marketing channel in the case of bittergourd and snake gourd, while the channel, Producer – Commission agent – Wholesaler – Retailer – Consumer was identified as the most important one for ivy gourd. In the case of bitter gourd, producer’s share in consumer’s rupee was Rs. 7.6 (50.70 per cent) whereas in the case of snakegourd it was Rs. 4.75 (47.50 per cent). For ivy gourd, the same was Rs. 5.44 per kg. (36.3 per cent). The index of marketing efficiency was highest for bittergourd (1.03) followed by snakegourd (0.91) and ivy gourd (0.57). The most important constraint faced by the vegetable growers in the study area was the incidence of pests and diseases. It was followed by the problems of high input cost, inadequacy of capital, non-availability of labor and low price of the produceThesisItem Open Access Production and marketing of vanilla(Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2005) Deepa, U V; KAU; Jesy, Thomas KThe present study on the economics of production and marketing of vanilla aims to estimate the costs and returns in vanilla cultivation, identify the marketing channels and marketing costs along with the analysis of the price behaviour and trade competitiveness of vanilla in Kerala The cost of cultivation was worked out using operation wise approach and input wise approach by employing the ABC cost concepts in farm management. Small sized, medium sized and large sized vanilla plantations behaved differently in incurring costs during the establishment, steady yield and declining yield periods. The total cost of establishment at the aggregate level was Rs.1, 45,102 per hectare and it ranged from Rs. 1,37,445 per hectare in small holdings to Rs. 1,54,776 per hectare in medium sized holdings. The annual maintenance cost during the stabilized yield period worked out to Rs.57829 per hectare at the aggregate level and it was Rs. 55456,Rs.58343 and Rs.58577 per hectare for small, medium and large holdings respectively. The annual maintenance cost during the declining yield period worked out to Rs57313 at the aggregate level and it was Rs. 56042, Rs. 58158, and Rs. 58507 for small, medium and large holdings. Input wise analysis of costs for establishment stage showed that cost C3 at the aggregate level worked out to Rs. 193205. The total Cost C3 for steady yield stage worked out to Rs. 81057 at the aggregate level and it was Rs 77508, Rs. 83444 and Rs. 83466 for small, medium and large holdings respectively. During the declining yield stage cost C3 at the aggregate level worked out to Rs.79407, and it was Rs. 77320,Rs. 819175and Rs. 81354 for Small, medium and large farmers respectively. The returns from green beans started from third year and it remained stable from fourth to seventh year and declined during eighth to fifteenth year. . The returns from the by product commenced from the third year onwards and increased during the steady yield stage and declining yield stage. It was observed that cost of production was more during the later stages of growth than the beginning stages of vanilla production. A higher benefit cost ratio and high NPW for small holdings pointed out its higher profitability compared to medium and large holdings. The major marketing channels identified were Producer-Local agent –exporter, Producer Exporter, Producer - vanilla growers association- exporter. It was found that it was highly beneficial for the vanilla grower to go for on farm processing of the beans instead of selling as raw beans, if they could maintain the required international quality of the beans. The major constraints faced by the farmers were price fluctuations, lack of marketing facilities, lack of knowledge on processingThesisItem Open Access Kisan credit card scheme: an economic evaluation(Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2007) Sangitha, K Viswanath; KAU; Thomas, E KThe main objectives of the study entitled “Kisan Credit Card Scheme: An Economic Evaluation are to study the growth of Kisan Credit Card Scheme in Kerala, to examine the pattern and adequacy of credit supply, to study the timeliness, repayment and overdue pattern of the scheme and to identify operational problems in order to suggest measures for improvement. The study was conducted in Kannur district. From the secondary data collected it was found that maximum number if cards were disbursed in Kannur district. Multistage random sampling technique was used for selection of samples. Thirty farmers each were selected from three banks namely Syndicate Bank (Mambaram), North Malabar Gramin Bank (Pala) and Pathiriyaad Service Co-operative Bank making the sample size to 90. The survey was conducted in May 2007 using a well structured interview schedule. The study of the status of Kisan Credit Cards revealed that for Primary Agricultural Credit Societies there was considerable increase in the number of cards and loan amount disbursed through the scheme. In RRBs more number of cards was disbursed through North Malabar Gramin Bank (NMGB) than South Malabar Gramin Bank (SMGB). Out of the total Kisan Credit Cards issued through Commercial Banks, 48.3 per cent was supplied by State Bank group, 45.5 per cent by nationalized banks and 6.2 per cent by Private Sector Banks. Nationalized Banks had disbursed maximum amount of loan through Kisan Credit Cards (45.7 per cent) followed by State Bank (36.4 per cent) and Private Banks (14.9 per cent). Assessment of adequacy of loan under the scheme was studied by cross tabulating the data pertaining to the adequacy of loan based on adequacy measure and the opinion survey on individual bank basis. The results showed that out of the 30 farmers who took loan under the scheme from Commercial Bank, only nine had received adequate amount of credit under the scheme (30 per cent) when opinion survey and adequacy measure were considered together. In RRB,3.3 per cent and in Co-operative Bank 6.7 per cent of the card holders got adequate credit when adequacy measure and opinion survey was considered simultaneously. With respect to the timely availability of credit under the scheme, only 25.6 per cent of the total respondents had stated that credit was not available on time while the rest 74.4 per cent had opined that credit was available at the proper time without any delay. Out of the total sample of 90 respondents, 37.8 per cent had completely repaid the loan amount and 62.2 per cent had partially repaid the loan amount. Among the card holders from Commercial Bank, 26.7 per had repaid the loan completely and 73.3 per cent had repaid it partially while in RRB 53.3 per cent repaid completely and 46.3 per cent repaid partially. In Co-operative banks, 37.8 per cent had repaid the loan completely while 62.2 per cent had partially repaid the loan. A few operational problems like high rate of interest in RRB, inadequacy of credit from RRB and Co-operative bank, were noticed during the study. The credit limit fixed based on the scale of finance was need to be revised. Suggestion was made for provision of a pass book to the borrowers and the credit card is to be linked with ATM facility.ThesisItem Open Access Kisan credit card scheme: an economic evaluation(Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2007) Sangitha K, Viswanath; KAU; Thomas, E KThe main objectives of the study entitled “Kisan Credit Card Scheme: An Economic Evaluation are to study the growth of Kisan Credit Card Scheme in Kerala, to examine the pattern and adequacy of credit supply, to study the timeliness, repayment and overdue pattern of the scheme and to identify operational problems in order to suggest measures for improvement. The study was conducted in Kannur district. From the secondary data collected it was found that maximum number if cards were disbursed in Kannur district. Multistage random sampling technique was used for selection of samples. Thirty farmers each were selected from three banks namely Syndicate Bank (Mambaram), North Malabar Gramin Bank (Pala) and Pathiriyaad Service Co-operative Bank making the sample size to 90. The survey was conducted in May 2007 using a well structured interview schedule. The study of the status of Kisan Credit Cards revealed that for Primary Agricultural Credit Societies there was considerable increase in the number of cards and loan amount disbursed through the scheme. In RRBs more number of cards was disbursed through North Malabar Gramin Bank (NMGB) than South Malabar Gramin Bank (SMGB). Out of the total Kisan Credit Cards issued through Commercial Banks, 48.3 per cent was supplied by State Bank group, 45.5 per cent by nationalized banks and 6.2 per cent by Private Sector Banks. Nationalized Banks had disbursed maximum amount of loan through Kisan Credit Cards (45.7 per cent) followed by State Bank (36.4 per cent) and Private Banks (14.9 per cent). Assessment of adequacy of loan under the scheme was studied by cross tabulating the data pertaining to the adequacy of loan based on adequacy measure and the opinion survey on individual bank basis. The results showed that out of the 30 farmers who took loan under the scheme from Commercial Bank, only nine had received adequate amount of credit under the scheme (30 per cent) when opinion survey and adequacy measure were considered together. In RRB,3.3 per cent and in Co-operative Bank 6.7 per cent of the card holders got adequate credit when adequacy measure and opinion survey was considered simultaneously. With respect to the timely availability of credit under the scheme, only 25.6 per cent of the total respondents had stated that credit was not available on time while the rest 74.4 per cent had opined that credit was available at the proper time without any delay. Out of the total sample of 90 respondents, 37.8 per cent had completely repaid the loan amount and 62.2 per cent had partially repaid the loan amount. Among the card holders from Commercial Bank, 26.7 per had repaid the loan completely and 73.3 per cent had repaid it partially while in RRB 53.3 per cent repaid completely and 46.3 per cent repaid partially. In Co-operative banks, 37.8 per cent had repaid the loan completely while 62.2 per cent had partially repaid the loan. A few operational problems like high rate of interest in RRB, inadequacy of credit from RRB and Co-operative bank, were noticed during the study. The credit limit fixed based on the scale of finance was need to be revised. Suggestion was made for provision of a pass book to the borrowers and the credit card is to be linked with ATM facility.ThesisItem Open Access Socio- economic issues in pesticide use: an analysis in bittergourd(Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2006) Chithra, M S; KAU; Jesy Thomas, KThe present study on the " Socio-economic Issues on pestici~e use: An analysis in bittergourd" was conducted to study the economics, analyse pattern of pesticide use and examine the socio economic issues in use of pesticides in bitter gourd. The study was taken up in Palakkad and Thrissur districts where bittergourd cultivation is taken up on a commercial scale. From the districts, Nemmara and Pazhayannur panchayats were selected for the study. The total cost of cultivation per hectare at C3 level in bittergourd cultivation was' found to be RS.l 09240 in Nemmara and RS.l 0690 1 in Pazhayannur. The benefit cost ratio was found to be 1.63 in Nemmara and 1.61 in Pazhayannur. Among the inputs, labour charges constituted the major share followed by manures. Among the . different operations, manuring and fertilizer application occupied the lion's share. The pesticide usage in the study area was found to be indiscriminate and the usage of plant protection chemicals was found to increase with an increase in holding size. The respondents in Pazhayannur were resorting more on non-chemical methods of pest control. The yield and returns per hectare was found to be 22190 kg and Rs. 177520 in Nemmara and 21551 kg and Rs. 172408 in Pazhayannur . .. In the analysis of gross income function, area, PPC, and orgamc manure was found to be significantly influencing the gross income. The factors influencing the pesticide. expenditure wer~ analyzed and the• study showed that area, . . "fertilizer and income was found to have significant influence on pesticide expenditure. In the estimation of technical efficiency using maximum likelihood estimates, plant protection chemicals and human labour were found to be significant. The mean technical efficiency in bittergourd production was found to be higher in Pazhayannur (0.84) as compared to Nemmara (0.79). • In the analysis of the factors influencing the overuse of pesticides, the gross income was found to have significant influence on the overuse of pesticides. Consumer survey revealed that 82.5 per cent of consumers were aware of the pesticide residues and the Willingness To Pay Premium (WTPP) was found to be Rs.4.21 per kilogram of bitter gourd. The major constraints in the organic production of bittergourd was the lack of proper markets for selling organically produced bittergourd, non-uniformity in the cultivation practices in an area and small size of the produce obtained though organic cultivation.
