Economic Evaluation of Sericulture Production in Jammu Region
Loading...
Date
2019-10
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu (J&K), Jammu
Abstract
An investigation entitled “Economic Evaluation of Sericulture Production in Jammu region” was carried out during the year 2017-18, covering three districts namely Kathua, Rajouri and Udhampur which were selected purposively on the basis of highest number of silkworm rearers and cocoon production. Two development blocks from each district were selected purposively based on same criteria and further three villages from each block were selected randomly comprising a sample of 270 silkworm rearers which were selected randomly again. Both primary as well as secondary data were collected as per the requirements of the study. The primary data were collected by survey method by interviewing the silkworm rearers directly through a specially designed and pre-tested schedule. The required secondary data were collected from various published sources, agencies, websites, etc.
The study has revealed that sericulturists of Kathua district incurred highest establishment cost per acre (` 14099.96) for the mulberry garden followed by Udhampur (` 13216.29) and Rajouri (` 12948.81) with overall average as ` 14007.70. Human labour, saplings, machine labour, farm yard manure (FYM) and fertilizers has been found to be the important components comprising the total cost of which human labour contributed the most towards the total cost followed by expenditure on saplings. Highest maintenance cost per acre per year for mulberry garden has been found to be borne by the sericulturists of Udhampur district (` 4872.88) followed by Kathua (` 4480.14) and Rajouri (` 4441.61) with overall average as ` 4685.52. Of the two components (manures and manuring and fertilizers and its application) comprising the total maintenance cost, manures and manuring contributed more towards the total cost as compared to that of fertilizers and its application. The cost incurred per ounce for cocoon production has been found to be highest in Kathua district (`8953.03) followed by Rajouri (` 8760.36) and Udhampur (` 8262.77) with overall average as ` 8756.23. Variable cost has been the major component of the total cost and among the various items constituting the variable cost, the highest share has been found to be of human labour followed by leaf cost, transportation and marketing and cost of disease free layings in the study area. The rearers of Udhampur district (` 23940.00) earned highest income followed by Rajouri (` 23268.60) and Kathua (` 23063.33) with overall average as ` 23865.00. Furthermore, highest benefit cost ratio was obtained by the rearers in Udhampur (2.90) followed by Rajouri (2.66) and Kathua (2.58) with overall average as 2.73. The stochastic frontier model indicated that in Kathua, saplings (+), FYM (-), human labour (+), DFLs (+)and disinfectant (-), in Rajouri only DFLs (+), in Udhampur spalings (-), DFLs (+) and newspaper (+) while at overall level saplings (-), FYM (+) and DFLs (+) were significantly affecting the technical efficiency.Increasing returns to scale were observed in Kathua and Udhampur (ԑp >1) with decreasing RTS (ԑp <1) in Rajouri while in the study area decreasing RTS (ԑp >1) were noticed. The deviation from the maximum output due to technical inefficiency was found to be 76 per cent (overall level), 91 per cent (Kathua), 100 per cent (Rajouri) and 99 per cent (Udhampur)when compared with random error effects. The rearers in Rajouri (62 per cent) were technically more efficient than Kathua and Udhampur (62 per cent each) as clear from their mean technical efficiency and frequency distribution based on technical efficiency as highest number of rearers (24.44 per cent) in Rajouri were operating in the efficiency range of 71-80 per cent while in Kathua and Udhampur they were operating in the efficiency score of 41-50 per cent. Among major socio-economic factors, farm size (Kathua), household size and experience (Udhampur) and household and farm size (overall) had significant effect ontechnical efficiency while in Rajouri none of the factor had significant influence on technical efficiency.
The estimates of binary logistic regression model indicated that bed cleaning, feeding of leaves, chopping of leaves and sorting of cocoons had significantly influenced adoption of work in sericulture with the highest probability for bed cleaning (0.254) followed by sorting of cocoons (0.242), chopping of leaves (0.118) and feeding of leaves (0.011).The t-test with equal or unequal variances and mandays generated through this enterprise in the study area revealed that the enterprise created higher man days for females as compared to their male counterparts with male’s participation more in outdoor activities and of females in indoor activities.
Of the total marketing cost incurred in the marketing of cocoons in the study area, the labour charges constituted the highest share followed by transportation cost of cocoons up to the sale centre and market fee charged by the sericulture department from the rearers for providing market facilities. The open auction method for the sale of cocoons was found in the cocoon auction markets being organized by the Department of Sericulture in the respective districts. The only marketing channel that was prevalent in the study area was “Cocoon grower- Trader of outside state- Wholesaler- Consumer (distant market)”.
Garrett’s Ranking technique highlighted non-availability of shed, price variation, poor quality of seed, crop damage, delayed marketing of the produce and non-possession of required number of rearing kits as the major constraints related to cocoon production.
The study suggested for proper management of inputs,provision of good quality seed, organizing departmental vans for transporting cocoons, exclusive development in the source of mulberry foliage by putting more area under bush type mulberry plants, introduction of control measures (like MSP) for stabilizing cocoon prices, and above all improvement in extension services as it is a pre-requisite for the progress and success of sericulture enterprise
Description
Keywords
null