Debashis Sarkar

Diversification of agriculture in Eastern India.

Chapter 1. Introduction.- Part I: Rationale and Extent of Agricultural Diversification.- Chapter 2. Green Revolution in Eastern India.- Chapter 3. Diversified Sustainable Agriculture in Eastern India.- Chapter 4. Crop Diversification: An Exploratory Analysis.- Chapter 5. Trend and Pattern of Crop Diversification in Odisha.- Chapter 6. Pattern of Agricultural Diversification in Odisha.- Chapter 7. A Study on the Extent of Crop Diversification in West Bengal.- Chapter 8. A Study of Diversification of Katarni to HYV paddy in Bihar.- Part II: Nature and Problems of Agricultural Diversification.- Chapter 9. Role of Dairying in Diversification of Indian Agriculture.- Chapter 10. Crop Diversification through Oilseeds in Eastern India.- Chapter 11. Crop Diversification in North Eastern Plain Zone of India.- Chapter 12. Crop diversification in West Bengal: Nature and Constraints.- Chapter 13. Problems of Crop Diversification in West Bengal.- Chapter 14. Factors Influencing Extent of Diversification in West Bengal.- Chapter 15. Causes of Agricultural Diversification in Bihar and Jharkhand.- Chapter 16. Policy Intervention in West Bengal Agriculture: Role of Diversification.- Part III: Food and Livelihood Security through Agricultural Diversification.- Chapter 17. Diversification and Food Security in the North Eastern States of India.- Chapter 18. Impact of Improved Agro-techniques towards Food and Livelihood Security.- Chapter 19. Floriculture in West Bengal in Augmenting Income and Export.- Chapter 20. Role of Muga Culture in Diversification Strategy.

Production Economics of Strawberry in Haryana, India

The present study was conducted in Hisar and Bhiwani districts of Haryana which was selected purposively on the basis of highest area and production of Strawberry cultivation in the state. One block from each district and two villages from each block were selected. Saharwa and Satrod (Hisar-1) and Chanana and Siwani (Siwani) were selected purposively since they have the highest number of strawberry growers in the district. 120 growers were selected from which 43, 30, 30, and 17 farmers were from Satrod, Saharwa, Chanana and Siwani, respectively depending upon the availability of strawberry growers in the region. On the basis of the nature of the data, simple tabular analysis was carried out. The cost concept namely cost A, cost B and cost C and various economic tools were used for the estimation of per ha cost of strawberry cultivation. The overall average cost of strawberry production in both districts of Haryana was found to be ` 937.18 thousand per hectare. The total cost of cultivation was highest in case of large category growers followed by medium and small category. The overall net return earned by strawberry growers was ` 1174.80 thousand per hectare. Cost of production of per kg of Strawberry was highest in large ` 78.57per kg, followed by medium ` 74.33 per kg. and small ` 71.34 per kg. Benefit-Cost ratio of Strawberry cultivation calculated under cost A was 2.79, Cost B was 2.56 and Cost C was 2.25.

Impact of Roads on Income and Consumption of Rural Households in West Bengal

In several studies it has been observed that public goods like roads indirectly play a key role in the development process through multiplier effects in the long run, it effects positively not only in economic aspects but also in social aspects. This holds true for both urban and rural areas. It has been found in many cases how rural road connectivity acts as a driver of socioeconomic development and poverty reduction. In many studies it has been found that lack of roads constraints the access of rural people to markets leading to a reduction in income and consumption. In view of this, an attempt has been made in this study to consider the impact of rural roads on income and consumption of the households in West Bengal. It has been found that better roads and railway systems lead to access and opportunities leading to diversified livelihood and accordingly diversified income are generated. The study also reveals that there is both quantitative and qualitative divergence in employment of the households between near and away from main road and rail station leading to a diversified income which in turn has a significant effect on the consumption expenditure of the rural households. The Gini coefficient is higher in case of those households near to main roads and rail station as well as a statistically significant higher group means for monthly income as well as consumption expenditure of those households reflecting a diversified rural livelihoods mainly because of better access to public assets like rural roads and implying a variation and heterogeneity in income and consumption.

Impact of roads on income and employment of rural households in West Bengal

It has been observed in several studies that lots of deprived communities are remote by distance, terrible road conditions, lack of or bust bridges and scarce transport. These conditions make it difficult for rural people to get their sell to market and finding jobs to place of work, to grip health emergencies, to admit children to school, and to obtain public services. In view of this, an attempt has been made in this study to consider the impact of rural roads on income and employment of the households in West Bengal. It has been found that better roads and railway systems lead to access and opportunities leading to diversified livelihood and accordingly diversified income are generated. The study also reveals that there is both quantitative and qualitative divergence in employment of the households between near and away from main road & rail station. The area which has high road and high population density positively influences the educational level too. Better access to education is materialised due to proximity of main road and rail station. The Gini coefficient is higher in case of those households who are near to main roads and rail station as well as a high Simpson index reflecting a diversified rural livelihoods mainly because of better access in income niche and implying a variation and heterogeneity in income.

A case study on resource-use efficiency in Onion cultivation in West Bengal, India

This study focuses on the aspects of resource use efficiency of onion growers in the Indo-Gangetic Region of West Bengal, India. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) has been used in measuring efficiency level of stakeholders followed by K-means clustering for grouping them into homogeneous strata. The prime objective of this study is to explore the scope of increasing onion-yield as well as production using current resource base at the disposal of farmers. Additionally, characterization of growers in terms of several socio-economic indicators was made and studied. Finally, the study ends with advocating policy intervention measures in the gray fields. The study observed much potential for augmenting onion-yield with existing resource base of farmers with careful interventions.

An Examination of the Factors Discriminating Onion Growers in West Bengal

The present study is based on empirical survey (2013–14) on hundred sample onion growers from Nadia and Hooghly districts of West Bengal in an attempt to characterise them into different classes in terms of several indicators covering both categorical and continuous variables and examining the factors discriminating them. The goal of this research article is to advocate intervention measures for augmenting onion production in a deficit state of West Bengal. K-means cluster analysis, Group characterization technique and Linear Discriminant Analysis tools have been used for the study. It has been found that the causes of poor performance among low-yield group emanate from cultural practices, technology adoption and managerial lapses. Institutional linkages, developing and restructuring farmers’ oriented bodies, promoting SHGs and building up Onion Producers Company and providing marketing infrastructure and provision of cold storages may change the status of poor onion growers.

Analysis of Local Market Institutions in West Bengal and Bihar

The analysis of local market institutions in West Bengal and Bihar reveals that the market for agricultural produce is overwhelmingly dominated by private trade at the village levels. Though there has been modest public sector effort to support agricultural markets through building up of public sector marketing agencies, promoting cooperatives, etc., the fact remains that the market is dominated by private trade in agricultural produce in a largely unorganized manner. There have been numerous village-level market institutions at work for the marketing of specific commodities, through even greater numbers of trade channels in the marketing chain. Owing to higher number of trade channels in prolonged marketing chains, the producers’ shares in cases of all crops turn out to be quite low, especially for fruits and vegetables.

Study on growth of major cereals in West Bengal

An effort has been made in this study to measure the sub-period growth rates of area, production and yield of two major crops i.e. rice and wheat in West Bengal. The study also tries to examine the changes in costs and profitability of these two crops during this period. It has been observed that the agriculture of the state had been able to boost its performance during the decade of eighties, at least in terms of growth rates production of rice and wheat, mainly for tremendous increment in the yield growth rates of the crops along with expansion of area under cultivation. The effective introduction of HYV technology coupled with successful implementation of land reforms programme at the very grass root level set the path of agricultural development in West Bengal. However, this scenario of impressive growth performance did not sustain for a very long period of time. The fall in the yield growth rates of crops reduces the production growth rates during the era of globalisation which have been started in the early nineties. During this period, crops such as boro rice, and total food grain experienced fall in their growth rates to a significant extent with marked deceleration in growth trend. The trend of declining cost of production with higher growth in yields got reversed in the nineties and beyond and they went up at nearly 1.5% per annum for rice and wheat. The returns over paid-out costs also for rice farmers declined at 1.15% per annum in real terms leading to distress for them. This declining profitability seems to have discouraged them in increasing spending on yield augmenting technology as shown by the relatively declining growth rate of cost of cultivation.

Deprivation of Women in Education in West Bengal

Women account for roughly half the worlds population, perform two-thirds of the hours worked, receive one-tenth of the worlds income, and have less than one hundredth of the worlds property registered in their names. Female deprivation is very acute in the developing countries with high levels of poverty, though in affluent nations women also suffer low status due to conservative attitudes. Equality of the sexes in terms of men and womens command over resources, their access to education and health, and in terms of freedom to develop their potential has an intrinsic value in its own right. The equal treatment of the sexes for intrinsic reasons is, in the parlance of welfare economics, the equity reason for reducing gender-imbalances. A second important reason in favour of reducing gender-imbalances is what might be termed the instrumental reason i.e. the gains to be had from granting equality. This is the efficiency reason for reducing gender inequality in areas where women are currently deprived. An attempt has been made in this paper to analyse the deprivation of woman in education in West Bengal vis-a-vis India. The study reveals that since independence, there has been some positive improvement in the status of girls’ education. However, this change has been primarily observed in urban areas among the higher and middle classes. In rural and remote areas, particularly among certain social groups and communities, girls and woman are still facing problems in deriving the benefits of educational attainment. It has been also found that wide disparities in the attainment of education particularly among rural males and females, urban females and rural females and between females belonging to scheduled and non-scheduled groups and certain minority communities. The intervention of gender sensitive planning and gender budgeting are call for the day to reduce the gender gaps in education.

Trends and Pattern in use of Different Fertilisers in West Bengal

There is no doubt in the fact that consumption of fertilisers in West Bengal has increased manifolds over the years. This has particularly in response to the need to replenish soil deficiencies and nutrient drainage associated with spread of improved varieties of rice, wheat and vegetables cultivation in the state. It is evident that during the period from 1980–81 to 2003–04 proportion of rice area under HYVs has increased consistently from 29.60 per cent in 1980–81 to 91.75 per cent in 2010–11. At the same time, increase in the availability or irrigation, especially groundwater irrigation, has created desired environment for further increase in application of fertilisers to achieve higher yield. The end result is that the yield of paddy positively influenced consumption of fertiliser i.e. yield rise too with the rise in consumption of fertiliser. The total consumption of chemical fertilisers (N, P and K) in the state has increased from 1.62 lakh tones in 1977–78 to 2.8 lakh tones in 1980–81, 6.5 lakh tones in 1988–89, 6.7 lakh tones in 1989–90 and 7.5 lakh tones in 1991–92. Nevertheless, it has been observed that consumption of fertiliser negatively influenced ratio of price of fertiliser nutrient to crop i.e. consumption of fertiliser decreases too with the rise in ratio of price of fertiliser nutrient to crop price.