STATUS OF FARMERS INCOME IN GUJARAT: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

 The position of quality aspects of agriculture and two sample clusters in each agro climate zone and ten sample growers in each cluster have been selected for in-depth study. The, entirely fifteen clusters and 150 sample farmers are selected. The primary survey-based data extracted from the online data entry software of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfares, Government of India. An average per hectare input cost C2 was Rs 3.85 lakh for fruit crops which is highest, followed by vegetable Rs 1.79 lakh while minimum average per hectare cost C2 was Rs 0.24 lakh for pulses group in reference. An overall average per hectare cost was Rs 0.47 lakh for all crop groups. The highest average farm income per hectare earned from fruit group Rs 5.32 lakh and followed by vegetable group Rs 0.89 lakh while the lowest from oilseed crop group about Rs 0.02 lakh. The selected farmers earned an average income per hectare Rs 0.14 lakh in 2016-17. Based on total cultivated areas an annual farmer income was Rs 0.72 lakh for marginal group and 1.24 lakh for big groups while was Rs 0.75 lakh for all group during the reference year. Rainfall has been highly uneven across Gujarat. While South Gujarat has received more than its average rainfall, Kutch, North Gujarat and Saurashtra continue to face significant shortages.  In that’s why the agriculture is still dominant very good position in the different crops, even in the rain  shortfall .