A STUDY ON PRODUCTION CONSTRAINTS OF RICE CULTIVATION IN KURNOOL DISTRICT OF ANDHRA PRADESH
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Date
2018
Authors
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Publisher
Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University
Abstract
Rice has shaped the cultures, diets and economies of thousands of
millions of people in the world. It is the most important and extensively
grown food crop in the world. Because of its importance most Asian
governments regard rice as a strategic commodity (Hossain and Narciso,
2004). Rice is a primary food source for more than one-third of world’s
population and grown in 11 per cent of the world’s cultivated area. India is
one of the world's largest producers of rice, accounting for 20 per cent of
world production.
Rice contributes to Andhra Pradesh’s economy. It is the major staple
food grain crop in the state. A large percentage of labour force earns a living
from agriculture by cultivating rice. Andhra Pradesh is known as South
India’s rice bowl. The state has significant strengths in rice production
enjoying right conditions for growing rice. In Andhra Pradesh, area under rice
mostly depends on the monsoon pattern and availability of water in
reservoirs. The state has a share of 12 per cent in India’s total rice
production. Though there is a rise and fall in area and production of rice
based on water availability, there is a constant increase in productivity. In the
context of food security such decline in area and production is not good to
meet the future rice requirement. In the coastal districts the area under rice is
declining because of aquaculture activities.
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Hence, the present study on production constraints faced by the
farmers in rice cultivation was undertaken. Ex- post- facto research design
was adopted for the study. The study was carried out in three mandals of
Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh which were purposively selected, where
rice is intensively grown. A sample of 120 farmers were randomly selected
from the twelve selected villages. The data were collected by personal
interview method and analyzed by employing suitable statistical tools. Eleven
independent variables were subjected to statistical analysis for the purpose of
categorization of the respondents and for studying their relationship with the
dependent variable i.e. production constraints faced by the rice farmers.
Majority of the rice farmers engaged in rice farming were middle aged,
medium farmers with high school education, medium annual income, farming
experience, extension contact, mass media exposure, economic orientation,
management orientation, deferred gratification and high risk orientation.
Correlation analysis revealed that age, education, annual income, farm
size, farming experience, extension contact, mass media exposure,
management orientation and deferred gratification were negatively and
significantly related with production constraints of rice farmers. While risk
orientation had positive and significant relationship with the dependent
variable. However, economic orientation had non significant relationship with
the dependent variable i.e. production constraints faced by the rice farmers.
Regression analysis revealed that all the eleven selected independent
variables put together explained 82.40 per cent variation in the production
constraints of rice farmers. Further, it also revealed that education, risk
orientation, management orientation and deferred gratification were
negatively significant and annual income was found positively significant
have contributed to most of the variation in production constraints of rice
farmers.
Regarding production constraints expressed by rice farmers lack of
custom hiring centers was ranked first followed by involvement of middle
men, scarcity of labour during peak periods, high cost of labour, epidemics of
pests and diseases, weed infestation, high cost of FYM / chemical fertilizers,
indiscriminate use of irrigation water, lack of skill in operating machinery,
lack of proper storage facilities, lack of awareness on various departmental
subsidy schemes, diversion from rice cultivation to irrigated dry crops,
distress sale, imbalanced application of fertilizers, lack of processing facilities
at local level, low labour productivity and high rental charges of farm
machinery during peak season.
Among the suggestions proposed by the respondents to overcome the
production constraints, fetching better market price/provision of minimum
support price (MSP) by the government was ranked first followed by
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prioritization of agricultural works related to rice farming should be routed
through MGNREGA scheme (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act) helping the farmers and as well as agricultural labourers,
development of pest and disease resistant varieties, development of suitable
implements and equipments for all operations, improvement in transportation
and marketing facilities, establishment of custom hiring centres at local level,
seven hours of continuous and uninterrupted power supply to irrigate crop for
better crop production, ensure public warehousing facilities in the vicinity of
farmers villages, low cost of inputs (seeds , fertilizers, weedicides, pesticides,
diesel etc.), availability of combine harvesters at less rent, provision of loans
by government agencies at lower interest rates, provision of processing,
trading and export facilities, conduct regular farmer training programmes,
increase subsidies for rice farming, encourage seed village programme,
facilitate direct marketing in rice, ensure timely supply of High Yielding
Variety seed at proper time, supply of good quality seed by Department of
Agriculture, milling facility, adopt group farming approach in rice farming,
implementation of green manure schemes, implementation of crop insurance
schemes, recruitment of extension staff and increase the efficiency of the
extension staff.
To overcome the production constraints faced by the rice farmers and
to fulfill their suggestions few strategies were suggested viz. analysis of soils,
denying the license of culprit input dealers, distribution of seed storage bins,
encouraging rural youth to involve in farming, strengthening knowledge
management system on rice, prioritization of agricultural works through
MGNREGA, facilitate direct marketing, formulation of rice growers
association at local level, strengthening Water Users Association, creation of
proper storage facilities at panchayat or mandal levels, developing suitable
farm machinery for small holdings, rice varieties resistant to lodging, specific
pests and diseases and conducting on farm testing at different sites in order to
develop effective adaptive research and technology verification capability.
Description
D5687
Keywords
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