ECONOMIC DIMENSIONS OF VEGETABLE FARMING IN PUNJAB
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Date
2011
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Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana
Abstract
The present study, undertaken to delve into the economic dimensions of vegetable
farming in Punjab, has been based on both primary and secondary data. The importance of
vegetables in the cropping pattern of Punjab over time has been ascertained by way of secondary
data from 1971 onwards. The primary data, pertaining to the crop year 2008-09, collected from 60
vegetable growers, equally grouped into small (<2 hectares 5.0 acres), medium (2-4 hectares
5.0-10.0 acres) and large (>4 hectares 10 acres) land holding category, have been used to assess
the remunerative worth of vegetable farming vis-à-vis size of farm holding and to examine the
current market orientation of vegetable growers. The sampling technique entailed selection of two
top ranking districts, namely Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar, in terms of vegetable acreage and
production in the reference period TE 2008-09, followed by selection of four blocks (two from
each district) and eight villages (two from each block), which were accorded equal representation
in the sample selected. The study explicated that the gross cropped area (GCA) in Punjab
increased from 5.7 million ha in 1970-71 to 7.9 million ha by 2008-09 registering an increase of
39 per cent. The vegetable acreage increased from 18 thousand ha to 178 thousand ha during the
same period, the increase being to the tune of 705 per cent. The vegetable area in Punjab, in
proportion to state’s GCA increased from 0.32 per cent in 1970-71 to 0.73 per cent by 1990-91
and has been increasing consistently thereafter and reached 2.25 per cent by 2008-09. In the farms
of the respondents, the vegetable acreage increased from 28.5 per cent of GCA in 2006-07 to 34.9
per cent in 2008-09, the increase being more marked in case of small farm holders. The vegetable
area, as per cent of GCA, for the year 2008-09 has been recorded as the highest (58.1 %) for small
farmers, followed by that in case of medium (38.5 %) and large (29.3 %) farmers. The share of
vegetable crops in total farm income happened to be the highest (78.3 %) in case of small farmers,
followed by that in case of medium (60.1 %) and large (47.3 %) farm holders. The annual farm
income per acre of NSA has been recorded as `57771 for small farmers, which is significantly
higher (p<0.01) than that observed in the case of medium (`35607) and large (`33945) farmers,
which can well be attributed to higher cropping intensity in case of small farmers as compared to
that in case of medium and large farmers. The marketed surplus of small farmers was more except
in case of potato, and vegetables were mostly disposed off through commission agents by all
categories. Perishable nature, exploitation by middlemen and lack of transparency of marketing
system were the major marketing risks perceived by the vegetable growers. The study
conclusively establishes the remunerative worth of vegetable farming in general and for small and
marginal farmers, in particular and calls for an urgent need to educate the farmers on the market
orientation front so as to empower them to take the utmost advantage of opportunities offered by
changed market scenario, particularly so in case of vegetables.
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Keywords
irrigation, energy resources, biological phenomena, land resources, environment, wood, economics, seasons, manpower, planting