AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF CAULIFLOWER (BRASSICA OLERACEAE VAR. BOTRYTIS.) IN MIDDLE GUJARAT
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Date
2013
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AAU, Anand
Abstract
The present investigation was undertaken with a view to study the cost and return, resource use efficiency, marketing cost and price spread and constraints in production and marketing of cauliflower in middle Gujarat. A multistage random sampling design was used for selecting the sample. The study covered 4 talukas, 12 villages and 120 cauliflower growers (27 marginal, 38 small, 29 medium and 26 large) from Anand and Kheda districts. For studying price spread in marketing, 5 functionaries from each category of cauliflower marketing were randomly selected from Anand and Kheda markets. The major analytical tools employed for the study were tabular analysis, cost concept, production function analysis (using SPSS software) and price spread. Results of the study indicated that average cost of cultivation (Cost C2) of cauliflower per hectare was ₹73232.95. It was highest ₹114511.4 on medium farms and lowest ₹72622.81 on large farms. On an average. Cost A (paid out cost) formed 72.46 per cent, while Cost B accounted for 86.07 per cent of total cost. Out of total cost (Cost C2), human labour cost was ranked first with 15.81 per cent of the total cost followed by fertilizer cost (12.51 per cent), manure and cakes (11.29 per cent), sapling charges (9.86 per cent), rental value of own land (9.27 per cent), managerial costs (9.09 per cent), tractor charges (8.45 per cent), irrigation charges (7.93 per cent), plant protection chemical (6.57 per cent), interest on fixed capital (4.33 per cent) and bullock labour (2.71 per cent) on overall basis. Thus, these major items of expenditure contributed 97.82 per cent of total cost. The average yield of cauliflower per hectare was 333.13 quintals on sample farms which realized ₹ 118994.93, ₹ 66361.70, ₹ 56477.47 and ₹ 56250.72 as gross income, farm business income, family labour income and farm investment income, respectively. The net profit per hectare over Cost C2 was ₹46366.49. It varied from ₹14939.69 on marginal farms to ₹ 54405.55 on large farms. The overall input-output ratio on Cost C2 was about 1:1.64 and it was highest on large farms (1:1.75) and lowest on marginal farms (1:1.20). Looking to the cost, return and input-output ratio, it is concluded that cauliflower cultivation was profitable vegetables crop in Middle Gujarat condition. In order to find out the efficiency of resources used by cauliflower growers, Cobb Douglas production function was employed; taking gross income as dependent variable. This analysis indicates that only cost of bullock labour, plant protection chemical and irrigation were found highly significant influence on the yield. The value of co-efficient of multiple determinations (R2) was 0.96 which showed that 96 per cent variation in the yield was accounted for the independent variables included in the function. The sum of regression co-efficient was (1.071) indicating increasing return to scale therefore more rational use of the inputs leading to get higher returns. As cauliflower is a market oriented crop, on an average about 93 per cent of production was marketed, while negligible portion was utilized for other purposes. The producer to wholesaler-cum-commission agent to retailer to consumer was the major marketing channel as more that 50 per cent of cauliflower moved through this route. The total cost in marketing of cauliflower per quintal was ₹ 337.85 which was 43.19 per cent of the consumers' rupee. Amongst it the highest marketing cost was observed in retailers which accounted for as (₹129.25) followed by wholesaler-cumcommission agent (₹70.63) and growers (₹19.35) per quintal. Results also indicated that commission was the major marketing cost possessed by wholesaler-cum-commission agent while retailer possessed damage cost. The margins in cauliflower marketing amounted to ₹ 224.99 per quintal which was 28.76 per cent of consumers' rupee. The producer's share in consumer's rupee was 43.19 per cent. The marketing efficiency was lower than unity (0.77). The major production, marketing and economic constraints faced by the cauliflower growers were non availability of fertilizer and labour in time, lack of irrigation facility, fluctuation in market price and long distance market. Further, they also faced the problems of high cost of fertilizers, planting material and pesticides.
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Keywords
Agricultural Economics, Agriculture, AN ANALYSIS