Growth and Instability in Cotton Production in Rajasthan

This study has estimated growth rates, acreage response function, instability and sources of instability in cotton production in Rajasthan. The data on area, production, and yield were divided into two periods, viz. Period I (1981–1995) and Period II (1996–2012). The has study revealed that compound growth rates of area, production and yield of cotton registerted a significant increase (14.30%, 15.20% and 18.00% per annum, respectively) during Period I, but negative growth rates (9%, 8.3% and 22.7%, respectively) during Period II. The analysis of acreage response function has revealed that the coefficient of irrigated area (0.95) was the only significant variable indicating that if irrigated area increases, the area under cotton will also increase. The analysis of CV has revealed that instability in area increased from 57.4 per cent in Period I to 59.5 per cent in Period II. The CV of productivity increased significantly from 83.4 per cent in Period I to 109.7 per cent in Period II. The increase in CV of production was from 3.85 per cent in Period I to 9.32 per cent in Period II. The study has concluded that increase in instability in area, production and productivity of cotton was more in Period II than in Period I. The instability was more pronounced in yield of cotton than in area. The instability in area and yield caused instability in production which was more in Period II than in Period I.