Department of Agricultural Economics, MPKV, Rahuri—413722, Maharashtra
The economic analysis of high-tech banana cultivation has been reported based on the study of 60 such cultivators selected randomly from four villages of the Jalgaon district in Maharashtra. The primary data pertaining to the year 2003–04 have been obtained by survey method from the selected sample cultivators. The study has revealed that the per hectare requirement of tissue culture seedlings is of 4302 seedlings. The use of fertilizers—nitrogen, phosphorus and potash—has been 440 kg, 216 kg and 372 kg, respectively, applied in liquid as well as granular form. The per hectare manure application has been of about 250 quintals. The use of labour, i.e. hired human and family labour has been found as of 170 mandays/ha, bullock power as 7 pair days and machine power as 28.46 hours. The application of micronutrients has been found as about 14 kg/ha. The per hectare cost ‘C’ has been estimated as Rs 143679/- comprising cost ‘A’ (Rs 103295/-) and cost ‘B’ (Rs 142473/-). The benefit-cost ratio of hi-tech banana cultivation at cost ‘C’ has been observed to be 1.32. The study has concluded that hi-tech banana cultivation seems to be a profitable highvalue enterprise.
