India is one of the key players in the global floriculture scene, according to research (Gharge e... more India is one of the key players in the global floriculture scene, according to research (Gharge et al., 2011). There is an obligation to use modern crop production methods like protected cultivation as a result of factors like population growth, climate change, increased demand for high-quality produce, shrinking land holdings and increased pressure on resources. The objective of this study is to discuss the socio economics status of flower growers, economics of protected cultivation technology of flower crops and problems faced by the growers in Sirmour District of Himachal Pradesh. In the study area, the average family size, sex ratio and literacy rate were found to be 5.14 persons, 761 and 92.45 per cent respectively. The Costs A 1 , B 2 , D, gross income, net income and output input ratio in case of carnation cultivation under protected conditions were ₹242.87, ₹255.67 and ₹302.75 per square metre, ₹898.45, ₹595.70 and 2.96 respectively, whereas, in case of lilies, Cost A 1 , B 2 , D, gross income, net income and output input ratio were ₹756.98, ₹853.86 and ₹954.34 per square meter respectively,₹2675.88, ₹1721.54 and 2.80 respectively. The main problems faced in the study area were lack of availability of healthy planting material, Lack of availability of regulated market, Lack of availability of chemicals and irrigation and shortage of skilled labour.
Trend analysis helps predict future events based on past time-series behaviour. Therefore, trend ... more Trend analysis helps predict future events based on past time-series behaviour. Therefore, trend analysis of five medicinal plants having high economic value (chilgoza, kala jeera, dhoop, karro and kuth) was done during the period 2011-12 to 2020-21. According to the study, growth rate in real terms was seen only in Dhoop species, while the other species were dribbling due to overexploitation as these were easily accessible to the local population. Growth rate was recorded highest for dhoop (18.37%/annum) and lowest for kala jeera (4.75%/annum). Nominal price elasticity for chilgoza, karro and kuth was greater than one, indicating that their quantity is changing faster than price, whereas nominal price elasticity for kala jeera and dhoop was less than one, demonstrating that these species possess inelastic properties, with their quantity changing slower than prices. In the case of real price elasticity, only kala jeera was elastic in nature in real value terms, while the remaining species were inelastic. Scarcity ratio was found to be positive only for kuth, which indicates that the availability of this species is dwindling in the forests daily. Therefore, it is necessary to educate the local population on how to grow key medicinal plants, and every household that depends on the forests for these plants should be provided with in-depth guidelines on how to continue using them.
In the Global Hunger Index 2021, India ranks 101 st among the 116 countries, with almost one-thir... more In the Global Hunger Index 2021, India ranks 101 st among the 116 countries, with almost one-third of all undernourished children living in the country. Instability in production, market and other risks make agriculture a riskier enterprise, affecting farmers' income and therefore food security. So, the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) was introduced by the government to alleviate crop uncertainties in the interest of the country's farmers and to safeguard them from the risky nature of farming, as part of the "One Nation-One Plan. The findings of this study highlight that overall, 51.16 per cent of beneficiaries and 13.16 per cent non-beneficiaries were significantly aware of PMFBY. The least per cent of beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries were aware of the risk covered under the scheme (51.64%) and procedure for insuring crops (14.97%) respectively. Regarding the overall awareness level towards the PMFBY, it was found that among the beneficiaries, maximum respondents were significantly aware (51.10%), followed by unaware (29.99%) and then moderately aware (18.88%). On the contrary, it was reported that the maximum number of non-beneficiaries were unaware (64.93%), followed by moderately aware (31.18%) and then significantly aware (13.26 %).PLUM (Polytomous Universal Model) method was used to analyze the relationship between perceptions of farmers and adoption of PMFBY. It was observed that there exists significant relationships, for both beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries. The parameter estimates showed that PMFBY acts as "a safeguard against production losses" and it has a significant, positive and highest impact (101.39 times) on the adoption of the scheme among beneficiaries and perception "Farmers' friendly procedure in buying crop insurance" has shown a significant and most positive effect (28.70 times) on adoption in non-beneficiaries. Such crop insurance schemes are way more beneficial to the farmers to prevent them from huge losses. So there is an urgent need to make people aware of the scheme and help them take the benefits by spreading awareness among them. Farmers should be made aware Regarding the agencies involved, crops and risks covered, the procedure of insuring crops, premium to be paid, source of the required information and so on in order to make PMFBY a success.
An attempt has been made in this investigation to work out the cost and returns from milk product... more An attempt has been made in this investigation to work out the cost and returns from milk production across different milch species of animals. Tabular analysis was employed to work out the cost and returns while Garrett's Ranking Technique (GRT) was used to identify the major constraints in milk production. The multistage random sampling technique was adopted to select the sample of 60 dairy farmers. Average milk yield per day per animal was found to be significantly higher in the case of crossbred cows (7.06 litres) as compared to local cows (2.88 litres). Similarly, net maintenance cost per milch animal per day was found to be relatively higher in crossbred cows (200.76) as compared to local cows (113.76). The per litre cost of milk production was observed to be significantly higher in case of local cows (35.09) followed by crossbred cows (26.34). The net income per day was relatively higher in case of crossbred cows (64.62) as compared to local cows (4.29), while it was found lowest in the small herd size category for local cows (0.54). The net return from crossbred cows was more than that of local cows indicating that crossbred milking cow was more economical than the local cow in the study area. High cost of concentrate, unavailability of veterinary services and low milk productivity were the major constraints in milk production in the study area. Therefore, efforts should be made to impart knowledge to dairy farmers regarding advanced animal husbandry techniques through extension services.
Instability in production, market and other risks make agriculture a riskier enterprise thus affe... more Instability in production, market and other risks make agriculture a riskier enterprise thus affecting farmers' income and food security. Under this risky scenario of agriculture enterprises, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) was introduced by the government to alleviate crop uncertainties in the interest of the country's farmers, as part of the "One Nation-One Plan". The present study sought to determine the impact of PMFBY on farmer's livelihood and to identify the determinants of the adoption of the scheme. The data were collected from 120 farmers consisting of 60 beneficiaries and 60 non-beneficiaries by simple random sampling technique in the Hamirpur district of Himachal Pradesh. To this end, livelihood framework analysis was used. The findings of the Livelihood framework analysis illustrated that beneficiaries had a better position in social, financial and human assets status than non-beneficiaries. Findings of the study vitalize the policy towards awareness of the farmers towards the scheme, as farmers do not understand the implantation procedure of the scheme. Early claim settlement and timely payment of compensation would help to raise the adoption of the scheme.
Sustainability is the emerging concept in today's world and organic farming is the backbone of th... more Sustainability is the emerging concept in today's world and organic farming is the backbone of the sustainability in the field of agriculture. It acts as an alternative to achieve the goal of economic as well as environmental sustainability. Organically grown vegetables are having better quality and fetching higher prices in the market as consumers are becoming more aware about nutrition and food safety with increase in education and per capita income. Organic production systems are based on specific standards, precisely formulated for food production and aim at achieving social and ecological sustainability. The results of the study showed that average family size was 4.26 and literacy rate was found quite high (97.54 %). The cultivated land accounted for 90.34 per cent of total land holdings. The cropping intensity was found to be quite impressive that is 176.16 per cent. The returns per hectare from organic vegetable farming are higher in cauliflower (` 388547.45/ha), peas (` 244150.86/ha), potato (` 313257.25/ha) and tomato (` 309826.06/ha), than the inorganic farming. The organic vegetable cultivation incurs less costs and gives more returns in all selected crops compared to inorganic vegetable cultivation. The results show that we should shift towards organic cultivation of crops in order to attain sustainability. Various scheme and other facilities from the government should be provided in order to adopt organic farming with all its effects.
The present study was undertaken in the Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh state to analyze the ... more The present study was undertaken in the Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh state to analyze the resource use efficiency of milk production in sampled households. The sample of 60 milk-producing households was selected using a multistage random sampling technique. The data were collected from three blocks of Shimla district, namely Mashobra, Rampur, and Rohru, in the year 2020-21. Various milk production functions like linear, transcendental, exponential, and Cobb-Douglas were tried to study the resource use efficiency. Still, ultimately, Cobb-Douglas production function was found the best fit for the present study. The study's results revealed that concentrate and green fodder were the critical determinants of milk production. It was found that for both crossbred and local cows, green fodder and concentrate were underutilized in the study area. Dairy farmers can increase the productivity of milch cattle by supplying more of these inputs in the study area.
The present study aimed to analyse the market arrivals and wholesale prices of significant vegeta... more The present study aimed to analyse the market arrivals and wholesale prices of significant vegetables in North Indian markets. The monthly data on market arrivals and wholesale prices were collected from 2001-2020. Karl Pearson correlation coefficient and CAGR were used in the study. The analysis revealed that the variation for selected crops differed through the markets and the months. The price variation was highest for potato in Delhi market during December (338%), followed by cabbage (121.47%) in the same market and month and then onion (114.74%) in Chandigarh market during July. On the contrary, the variation for arrivals was maximum in the case of onion (302.7%) in Dehradun market during December month, followed by potato (152.58%) and cabbage (121.5%) in Shimla market in May, and then tomato (129.92%) in Dehradun market in August month. However, there exists a normal price-demand relationship in selected markets; yet, the study confirmed the cases positive and significant relationship between arrivals and prices across different years attributed to off-season supplies of the crop, cold storage facilities, import, and availability of poly house technology, etc. Additionally, the compound growth rates for arrivals and prices in different markets were significant and positive during the study period. Hence, there is a need for market information dissemination, storage structures, and regular monitoring of market arrival and pricing, which can all help reduce fluctuation in market arrival and prices and safeguard farmers and consumers.
The present study was conducted to study the socio economic status of organic and inorganic veget... more The present study was conducted to study the socio economic status of organic and inorganic vegetable growers. A sample of 100 respondents were chosen at random from the mid hill zone of Himachal Pradesh using a simple random sampling design. The farmers were divided into two categories: marginal (less than one hectare) and small (less than one hectare). The study incorporated combined primary and secondary data. Farmers had an average size of 4.26 members, with a literacy rate of 97.54 per cent and an index of 3.91, according to socioeconomic analysis. The study area has a dependency ratio of 0.18. Cultivated land contributed for 90.34 per cent of total land holdings, with vegetable crops representing for 10.90 per cent of total land holdings. The estimated value of cattle units was 2.16, with buffaloes accounting for 37.33 per cent of the total. It was concluded that at an overall level, the socioeconomic condition of the sampled respondents was above average and are socially and economically sound.
The main objective of the present study was to work out the export competitiveness of Indian mang... more The main objective of the present study was to work out the export competitiveness of Indian mango and policy recommendations for improvement in its export and the destinations as well. To achieve the objectives, various tools such as net terms of the trade revealed comparative advantage and Markov chain analysis was applied to mango export data from 1999-2019.The estimations of net terms of trade and revealed comparative advantage that India ha a comparative advantage for exporting mango. It evident d was from the transitional probability matrices developed through Markov chain analysis that Qatar was the most loyal buyer for Indian mango. The attention should be focused on the market requirement and specifications of Qatar, Bangladesh, UAE and the UK were the most stable buyers of Indian mango.
Apple is the main constituent of farmer's economy in Northwestern states of India. The present wo... more Apple is the main constituent of farmer's economy in Northwestern states of India. The present work aims to examine, the status of market infrastructure and inequalities present in selected markets of North India namely; Azadpur, Dhalii, Foodgrain market Chandigarh and Solan. A total of 480 wholesalers were selected from the selected markets, 40 from Dhalli, 50 from Solan, 109 from Foodgrain market Chandigarh and 281 wholesalers from Azadpur market by complete enumeration method for the study. Market infrastructure index of Azadpur market was the highest (1.00) followed by Foodgrain market Chandigarh (0.28), Dhalli (0.03) and Solan (0.02). The inequality measures revealed that the selected apple markets are competitive indicating that the apple markets of north zone are highly efficient. The study also emphasized the need infrastructure facilities such as cold stores in Dhalli and Solan markets.
The study explores the trends in the export of major fruits, namely, apple, banana, grapes, and m... more The study explores the trends in the export of major fruits, namely, apple, banana, grapes, and mangoes from India during 1999-2000 to 2017-18. The secondary data on area, production, export quantity, and export value were collected from APEDA and NHB to achieve the objectives of the study. The data were analysed using the tools such as percentages, compound growth rates, and Cuddy-Della Valle instability index. The results indicated that selected fruits form 62.79 percent share of the total world fruit area and 72.41 percent share of total fruit production of the World. Although India has a vast production base yet, it exports less than one percent share of the production of major fruits like apple, banana, and grapes. However, the share of export in mango production is quite promising. The growth rates in the production of selected fruits were positive and higher than the growth rate of production of the world. Interestingly, the fruits with high production growth, such as bananas and grapes, had stable exports, whereas apple and mango showed moderate production growth and high volatility in exports.
India is one of the key players in the global floriculture scene, according to research (Gharge e... more India is one of the key players in the global floriculture scene, according to research (Gharge et al., 2011). There is an obligation to use modern crop production methods like protected cultivation as a result of factors like population growth, climate change, increased demand for high-quality produce, shrinking land holdings and increased pressure on resources. The objective of this study is to discuss the socio economics status of flower growers, economics of protected cultivation technology of flower crops and problems faced by the growers in Sirmour District of Himachal Pradesh. In the study area, the average family size, sex ratio and literacy rate were found to be 5.14 persons, 761 and 92.45 per cent respectively. The Costs A 1 , B 2 , D, gross income, net income and output input ratio in case of carnation cultivation under protected conditions were ₹242.87, ₹255.67 and ₹302.75 per square metre, ₹898.45, ₹595.70 and 2.96 respectively, whereas, in case of lilies, Cost A 1 , B 2 , D, gross income, net income and output input ratio were ₹756.98, ₹853.86 and ₹954.34 per square meter respectively,₹2675.88, ₹1721.54 and 2.80 respectively. The main problems faced in the study area were lack of availability of healthy planting material, Lack of availability of regulated market, Lack of availability of chemicals and irrigation and shortage of skilled labour.
Trend analysis helps predict future events based on past time-series behaviour. Therefore, trend ... more Trend analysis helps predict future events based on past time-series behaviour. Therefore, trend analysis of five medicinal plants having high economic value (chilgoza, kala jeera, dhoop, karro and kuth) was done during the period 2011-12 to 2020-21. According to the study, growth rate in real terms was seen only in Dhoop species, while the other species were dribbling due to overexploitation as these were easily accessible to the local population. Growth rate was recorded highest for dhoop (18.37%/annum) and lowest for kala jeera (4.75%/annum). Nominal price elasticity for chilgoza, karro and kuth was greater than one, indicating that their quantity is changing faster than price, whereas nominal price elasticity for kala jeera and dhoop was less than one, demonstrating that these species possess inelastic properties, with their quantity changing slower than prices. In the case of real price elasticity, only kala jeera was elastic in nature in real value terms, while the remaining species were inelastic. Scarcity ratio was found to be positive only for kuth, which indicates that the availability of this species is dwindling in the forests daily. Therefore, it is necessary to educate the local population on how to grow key medicinal plants, and every household that depends on the forests for these plants should be provided with in-depth guidelines on how to continue using them.
In the Global Hunger Index 2021, India ranks 101 st among the 116 countries, with almost one-thir... more In the Global Hunger Index 2021, India ranks 101 st among the 116 countries, with almost one-third of all undernourished children living in the country. Instability in production, market and other risks make agriculture a riskier enterprise, affecting farmers' income and therefore food security. So, the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) was introduced by the government to alleviate crop uncertainties in the interest of the country's farmers and to safeguard them from the risky nature of farming, as part of the "One Nation-One Plan. The findings of this study highlight that overall, 51.16 per cent of beneficiaries and 13.16 per cent non-beneficiaries were significantly aware of PMFBY. The least per cent of beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries were aware of the risk covered under the scheme (51.64%) and procedure for insuring crops (14.97%) respectively. Regarding the overall awareness level towards the PMFBY, it was found that among the beneficiaries, maximum respondents were significantly aware (51.10%), followed by unaware (29.99%) and then moderately aware (18.88%). On the contrary, it was reported that the maximum number of non-beneficiaries were unaware (64.93%), followed by moderately aware (31.18%) and then significantly aware (13.26 %).PLUM (Polytomous Universal Model) method was used to analyze the relationship between perceptions of farmers and adoption of PMFBY. It was observed that there exists significant relationships, for both beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries. The parameter estimates showed that PMFBY acts as "a safeguard against production losses" and it has a significant, positive and highest impact (101.39 times) on the adoption of the scheme among beneficiaries and perception "Farmers' friendly procedure in buying crop insurance" has shown a significant and most positive effect (28.70 times) on adoption in non-beneficiaries. Such crop insurance schemes are way more beneficial to the farmers to prevent them from huge losses. So there is an urgent need to make people aware of the scheme and help them take the benefits by spreading awareness among them. Farmers should be made aware Regarding the agencies involved, crops and risks covered, the procedure of insuring crops, premium to be paid, source of the required information and so on in order to make PMFBY a success.
An attempt has been made in this investigation to work out the cost and returns from milk product... more An attempt has been made in this investigation to work out the cost and returns from milk production across different milch species of animals. Tabular analysis was employed to work out the cost and returns while Garrett's Ranking Technique (GRT) was used to identify the major constraints in milk production. The multistage random sampling technique was adopted to select the sample of 60 dairy farmers. Average milk yield per day per animal was found to be significantly higher in the case of crossbred cows (7.06 litres) as compared to local cows (2.88 litres). Similarly, net maintenance cost per milch animal per day was found to be relatively higher in crossbred cows (200.76) as compared to local cows (113.76). The per litre cost of milk production was observed to be significantly higher in case of local cows (35.09) followed by crossbred cows (26.34). The net income per day was relatively higher in case of crossbred cows (64.62) as compared to local cows (4.29), while it was found lowest in the small herd size category for local cows (0.54). The net return from crossbred cows was more than that of local cows indicating that crossbred milking cow was more economical than the local cow in the study area. High cost of concentrate, unavailability of veterinary services and low milk productivity were the major constraints in milk production in the study area. Therefore, efforts should be made to impart knowledge to dairy farmers regarding advanced animal husbandry techniques through extension services.
Instability in production, market and other risks make agriculture a riskier enterprise thus affe... more Instability in production, market and other risks make agriculture a riskier enterprise thus affecting farmers' income and food security. Under this risky scenario of agriculture enterprises, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) was introduced by the government to alleviate crop uncertainties in the interest of the country's farmers, as part of the "One Nation-One Plan". The present study sought to determine the impact of PMFBY on farmer's livelihood and to identify the determinants of the adoption of the scheme. The data were collected from 120 farmers consisting of 60 beneficiaries and 60 non-beneficiaries by simple random sampling technique in the Hamirpur district of Himachal Pradesh. To this end, livelihood framework analysis was used. The findings of the Livelihood framework analysis illustrated that beneficiaries had a better position in social, financial and human assets status than non-beneficiaries. Findings of the study vitalize the policy towards awareness of the farmers towards the scheme, as farmers do not understand the implantation procedure of the scheme. Early claim settlement and timely payment of compensation would help to raise the adoption of the scheme.
Sustainability is the emerging concept in today's world and organic farming is the backbone of th... more Sustainability is the emerging concept in today's world and organic farming is the backbone of the sustainability in the field of agriculture. It acts as an alternative to achieve the goal of economic as well as environmental sustainability. Organically grown vegetables are having better quality and fetching higher prices in the market as consumers are becoming more aware about nutrition and food safety with increase in education and per capita income. Organic production systems are based on specific standards, precisely formulated for food production and aim at achieving social and ecological sustainability. The results of the study showed that average family size was 4.26 and literacy rate was found quite high (97.54 %). The cultivated land accounted for 90.34 per cent of total land holdings. The cropping intensity was found to be quite impressive that is 176.16 per cent. The returns per hectare from organic vegetable farming are higher in cauliflower (` 388547.45/ha), peas (` 244150.86/ha), potato (` 313257.25/ha) and tomato (` 309826.06/ha), than the inorganic farming. The organic vegetable cultivation incurs less costs and gives more returns in all selected crops compared to inorganic vegetable cultivation. The results show that we should shift towards organic cultivation of crops in order to attain sustainability. Various scheme and other facilities from the government should be provided in order to adopt organic farming with all its effects.
The present study was undertaken in the Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh state to analyze the ... more The present study was undertaken in the Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh state to analyze the resource use efficiency of milk production in sampled households. The sample of 60 milk-producing households was selected using a multistage random sampling technique. The data were collected from three blocks of Shimla district, namely Mashobra, Rampur, and Rohru, in the year 2020-21. Various milk production functions like linear, transcendental, exponential, and Cobb-Douglas were tried to study the resource use efficiency. Still, ultimately, Cobb-Douglas production function was found the best fit for the present study. The study's results revealed that concentrate and green fodder were the critical determinants of milk production. It was found that for both crossbred and local cows, green fodder and concentrate were underutilized in the study area. Dairy farmers can increase the productivity of milch cattle by supplying more of these inputs in the study area.
The present study aimed to analyse the market arrivals and wholesale prices of significant vegeta... more The present study aimed to analyse the market arrivals and wholesale prices of significant vegetables in North Indian markets. The monthly data on market arrivals and wholesale prices were collected from 2001-2020. Karl Pearson correlation coefficient and CAGR were used in the study. The analysis revealed that the variation for selected crops differed through the markets and the months. The price variation was highest for potato in Delhi market during December (338%), followed by cabbage (121.47%) in the same market and month and then onion (114.74%) in Chandigarh market during July. On the contrary, the variation for arrivals was maximum in the case of onion (302.7%) in Dehradun market during December month, followed by potato (152.58%) and cabbage (121.5%) in Shimla market in May, and then tomato (129.92%) in Dehradun market in August month. However, there exists a normal price-demand relationship in selected markets; yet, the study confirmed the cases positive and significant relationship between arrivals and prices across different years attributed to off-season supplies of the crop, cold storage facilities, import, and availability of poly house technology, etc. Additionally, the compound growth rates for arrivals and prices in different markets were significant and positive during the study period. Hence, there is a need for market information dissemination, storage structures, and regular monitoring of market arrival and pricing, which can all help reduce fluctuation in market arrival and prices and safeguard farmers and consumers.
The present study was conducted to study the socio economic status of organic and inorganic veget... more The present study was conducted to study the socio economic status of organic and inorganic vegetable growers. A sample of 100 respondents were chosen at random from the mid hill zone of Himachal Pradesh using a simple random sampling design. The farmers were divided into two categories: marginal (less than one hectare) and small (less than one hectare). The study incorporated combined primary and secondary data. Farmers had an average size of 4.26 members, with a literacy rate of 97.54 per cent and an index of 3.91, according to socioeconomic analysis. The study area has a dependency ratio of 0.18. Cultivated land contributed for 90.34 per cent of total land holdings, with vegetable crops representing for 10.90 per cent of total land holdings. The estimated value of cattle units was 2.16, with buffaloes accounting for 37.33 per cent of the total. It was concluded that at an overall level, the socioeconomic condition of the sampled respondents was above average and are socially and economically sound.
The main objective of the present study was to work out the export competitiveness of Indian mang... more The main objective of the present study was to work out the export competitiveness of Indian mango and policy recommendations for improvement in its export and the destinations as well. To achieve the objectives, various tools such as net terms of the trade revealed comparative advantage and Markov chain analysis was applied to mango export data from 1999-2019.The estimations of net terms of trade and revealed comparative advantage that India ha a comparative advantage for exporting mango. It evident d was from the transitional probability matrices developed through Markov chain analysis that Qatar was the most loyal buyer for Indian mango. The attention should be focused on the market requirement and specifications of Qatar, Bangladesh, UAE and the UK were the most stable buyers of Indian mango.
Apple is the main constituent of farmer's economy in Northwestern states of India. The present wo... more Apple is the main constituent of farmer's economy in Northwestern states of India. The present work aims to examine, the status of market infrastructure and inequalities present in selected markets of North India namely; Azadpur, Dhalii, Foodgrain market Chandigarh and Solan. A total of 480 wholesalers were selected from the selected markets, 40 from Dhalli, 50 from Solan, 109 from Foodgrain market Chandigarh and 281 wholesalers from Azadpur market by complete enumeration method for the study. Market infrastructure index of Azadpur market was the highest (1.00) followed by Foodgrain market Chandigarh (0.28), Dhalli (0.03) and Solan (0.02). The inequality measures revealed that the selected apple markets are competitive indicating that the apple markets of north zone are highly efficient. The study also emphasized the need infrastructure facilities such as cold stores in Dhalli and Solan markets.
The study explores the trends in the export of major fruits, namely, apple, banana, grapes, and m... more The study explores the trends in the export of major fruits, namely, apple, banana, grapes, and mangoes from India during 1999-2000 to 2017-18. The secondary data on area, production, export quantity, and export value were collected from APEDA and NHB to achieve the objectives of the study. The data were analysed using the tools such as percentages, compound growth rates, and Cuddy-Della Valle instability index. The results indicated that selected fruits form 62.79 percent share of the total world fruit area and 72.41 percent share of total fruit production of the World. Although India has a vast production base yet, it exports less than one percent share of the production of major fruits like apple, banana, and grapes. However, the share of export in mango production is quite promising. The growth rates in the production of selected fruits were positive and higher than the growth rate of production of the world. Interestingly, the fruits with high production growth, such as bananas and grapes, had stable exports, whereas apple and mango showed moderate production growth and high volatility in exports.
The present study entitled “Market Integration and Price Transmission Behaviour in Apple Markets ... more The present study entitled “Market Integration and Price Transmission Behaviour in Apple Markets of India” investigated the integration among five major apple markets i.e., Dhalli (Shimla), Chandigarh, Bengalore, Azadpur (Delhi) and Mumbai. The trends in area, production, productivity and export of apple were analysed at national and state level. The results of state-wise trend analysis during 2006-07 to 2015-16 revealed highest growth rate in area (2.72%/annum) and production (6.46 %/annum) was found in J&K and Himachal Pradesh respectively. The trends of apple area and production in India were analyzed by dividing the study period into two sub periods viz. 1960-61 to 1990-91(P-I) and 1991-92 to 2015-16(P-II) and the results revealed significant positive growth in both the periods with highest growth (6.23%/annum) in P-1 and variability in area was also higher in P-I as compared to P-II. Trends in production of apple recorded a significant positive growth in apple production during both the periods with highest growth rate of 7.11 percent per annum during P-I, whereas, variability was highest during P-II (4.58). The productivity was increasing significantly during P-II (2.73%/annum) and (0.32%/annum) in overall period, whereas, declining growth was found during P-I (-0.28%/annum). Decomposition analysis of apple production in India revealed that in P-I production variation in apple was mainly due to area effect, whereas, in P-II, it was due to yield effect. But in overall period area effect was recorded. Period-wise and areas wise trends were also analysed for Himachal Pradesh from 1973-74 to 2015-16 and the results revealed highest growth rate in area of 3.78 percent per annum during P-I in potential areas. The growth rates in production in potential areas showed significant increase, while, marginal areas showed declining growth in all periods except P-II, that exhibit highest growth rates in production (5.86%/annum). Growth rates in productivity showed significant increase in P-II in all the apple growing areas with maximum growth in potential areas (3.88%/annum) except marginal areas that showed significant decline in productivity in P-I and overall period. The decomposition analysis revealed that production variation in all areas in HP during P-I was due to area effect except marginal areas, whereas P-II was marked by yield effect in all apple growing areas on the account of varietal improvement. But, the overall increase in production was due to area expansion except marginal areas. Export trends of apple from India revealed that it is a net importer of apple as a very meager share only 1.5 per cent of its production base was exported. The 99 per cent of apple is exported to SAARC nations. The results of seasonality analysis revealed that that price seasonality of apple markets varied between 23.43 to 93.26 per cent. The highest seasonal variation was found in Shimla market whereas, lowest in Delhi market. Co integration analysis revealed that the five selected apple markets although geographically dispersed and spatially separated, yet they depict long run price association. As per Pair-wise Granger causality there were unidirectional causality between market pairs; Shimla-Chandigarh, Delhi-Chandigarh wholesale markets and bidirectional causality between Mumbai-Shimla, Delhi-Shimla, Bengaluru-Shimla and Bengaluru-Chandigarh and no causality between pairs; Delhi-Mumbai, Chandigarh- Mumbai, Bengaluru-Mumbai and Bengaluru-Delhi. The impulse response function revealed that apple prices in all the markets reacts immediately to the shock by going down initially for 4 to 5 months and then it stabilizes for the remaining period i.e., the process of price transmission was very quick in selected markets. Structure, conduct and performance analysis was also performed for Dhalli, Solan, Chandigarh and Azadpur markets which revealed that Chandigarh and Dhalli markets are highly competitive having GCR of 0.33 and 0.32 respectively, while Delhi and Solan are comparatively less competitive having GCR of 0.51 and 0.56. Market infrastructure index revealed that Azadpur and Chandigarh were found comparatively developed markets with respect to infrastructure as compared to Dhalli and Solan market. Market performance studies revealed that Azadpur market followed by Dhalli market are the more efficient markets as compared to Chandigarh and Solan markets.
In the present study entitled “Demand analysis of medicinal plants in Himachal Pradesh based on s... more In the present study entitled “Demand analysis of medicinal plants in Himachal Pradesh based on selected pharmaceutical units”, a sample of 10 pharmaceutical units was selected randomly from the list of 41 pharmacies from Solan district. To analyze the demand of medicinal plants used by the pharmaceutical units 10 important medicinal plants were selected. The raw material purchased by the pharmaceutical units mainly comes from Khari-Bawli market of New Delhi and Majtih Mandi of Amritsar. To have an insight into the exact status of extraction of medicinal plants in the state, the extracted species were classified on the basis of habitat, habit, economic part used and present status. On the basis of habitat, only medicinal plants under cultivation showed a positive and significant growth (29.01%/annum) during P-I i.e., 1994-2003. While, during P-II i.e., from 2003-2012 upper hill subtropical and cold desert showed significant negative growth of (28.74%/annum) and (24.71%/annum) respectively. The variability also increased from P-I to P-II in all the habitats except in cold desert and temperate zone. The maximum average volume as well as revenue was extracted from the temperate zone (10657.79qtls.) and (Rs 3801816) respectively. During 1994-95 to 2011-12 herbs and trees showed significant declining growth of 7.62 and 18.80 per cent per annum respectively. The entire plant showed a negative and significant growth of 21.4 per cent per annum in P-I and seeds in P-II showed negative and significant growth of (45.00%/annum). But, in overall bark, entire plants and rhizomes showed negative significant growth rates (13.43%/annum), (19.44%/annum) and (10.50%/annum) respectively. On the other hand, Barah flowers showed positive and significant growth of 18.34 per cent per annum. The roots yield maximum average volume and maximum revenue of 11335.31 quintals and Rs.250397.33. respectively. The linear growth of medicinal -plants based on their present status indicated that only commonly available medicinal plants showed a significant declining growth rate of 10.67 per cent per annum and 9.26 per cent per annum in P-II and overall respectively. The medicinal plant market in Himachal Pradesh is oligopsonic in nature i.e., a small number of large buyers controlling the buying side results in the dominance of buyers thus making medicinal plants market a buyer’s market and non-price competitive in nature. So, they compete with each other through improved working conditions and merging of two buyer’s results in greater control over the market and cooperation through secret collusion to control prices and exploitation of sellers. The analysis showed that all the medicinal plants showed significantly increasing growth except in case of Bankakdi, Kuth, Kutki and Safed Musli. The variability ranged from 68.01 to 2.06 per cent. The real prices showed similar trend as nominal prices except in Banafsha. The own price elasticity of the medicinal plants showed price inelastic demand that ensures a steady market for them. Most of the species showed normal price-demand behavior except Bankakdi, Kuth and Kutki. The reasons for the positive demand-price relationship were derived demand for medicinal plants and the priority of the pharmacy for the finished products. It has been suggested that medicinal plants like Kutki, Kuth and Bankakdi should be given priority in the light of their positive scarcity ratios.
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