Year: 2017 | Month: March | Volume 62 | Issue 1
Profitability, Potential and Progress of Organic Onion Production: Evidences from Nalanda District of Bihar
DOI:10.5958/0976-4666.2017.00023.7
Abstract:
Organic farming is growing at a faster rate. To undertake the challenges of food grain production and food security, conventional agriculture advocates call for the continuing or higher use of chemical fertilizers and synthetic pesticides. However, the continuous use and higher reliance on these inputs has led to declining Total Factor Productivity (TFP) and unsustainable agriculture. Organic farming offers a solution for sustainable agricultural as well as the reduction in the cost of production during long run. Growing Per Capita Income and health consciousness has provided a new market for differentiated products viz. organic products. The present study was conducted to examine the economics, progress of adoption of organic onion production and potential of organic onion production in increasing income and employment in comparison to conventional farming. Study is based on 60 organic onion producers and 60 non-organic onion producers from Nalanda District of Bihar. The total cost of cultivation of organic and conventional onion per hectare was worked out to be ` 86868 and ` 83516, respectively. The net income per hectare was ` 175392 and ` 156484 respectively. It was found that organic farmers are earning a gross income of 9.2 percent more compared to the conventional farmers of onion. Organic farming is generally more profitable in terms of gross returns than conventional farming, irrespective of the more cost of cultivation of crop. Area under organic onion production is growing at the rate 10 percent on year to year basis and at a compound growth rate of 10 percent. Findings revealed that organic onion production has potential to increase income by 9 percent and employment by 18 percent.
© This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
Print This Article Email This Article to Your Friend
