VANI, NMERLIN MATHEW2018-05-092018-05-092016http://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810045064D5312The present study entitled “Economic Analysis of Production and Marketing of Ginger in Wayanad District of Kerala State” was undertaken to study the input use patterns, cost and returns, resource use efficiency, allocative efficiency and constraints of production and marketing. The study covered two blocks and four villages with 80 farmers growing ginger. The sample farmers were stratified into small (up to 2 ha) and large (more than 2 ha). The data pertained to agricultural year 2014-15 were collected through survey method with the help of pretested schedules. Conventional and functional tools were used to analyse the data and to arrive at valid conclusions. The per hectare cost of cultivation of ginger in the study area was estimated at ` 4,54,991.62, ` 4,94,501.03 and ` 4, 81,957.23 on small, large and pooled farms respectively and thus exhibiting direct relationship with the size of the farm. The cost of producing a quintal of ginger exhibited inverse relationship with the size of the holding as it was ` 1,643.19 on large farms and ` 1,692.86 on small farms. A quintal of ginger yielded a net income of ` 1,013.10, ` 1,105.98 and ` 1,050.97 on small, large and pooled farms respectively. xii The break- even analysis indicated that the break-even output per hectare in the cultivation of ginger was 41.28, 39.04 and 40.44 quintals on small, large and pooled farms respectively. The actual output obtained by the farmers exceeded the break-even output. The functional analysis revealed that planting material coupled with fertilizers and manures on small farms, fertilizers and manures on large farms and planting material, plant protection chemicals and manures on pooled farms contributed to the increasing yields. The results of allocative efficiency highlighted that the MVP/MFC ratios were more than unity for seeds, fertilizers and manures on small farms, and seeds and plant protection chemicals on pooled farms. However, the negative ratio of MVP/MFC for fertilizers on large farms and less than one ratio of the same for manures on large and pooled farms indicated that the factor was used at higher levels than necessary in ginger production. In the marketing of ginger two channels were identified. They were, producer  village merchant  town merchant (wholesaler)  wholesaler (distant market)  retailer  consumer (channel-I) and producer  town merchant  wholesaler (distant market)  retailer consumer (channel-II). The analysis of marketing costs and margins revealed that the producer was getting marginally higher share of consumer’s rupee in channel- II (54.76 per cent) than that of channel-I (52.53 per cent).en-USnullThesis