Extent of Crop Diversification in Maharashtra: A Regionwise Analysis

The paper has studied regionwise changes in cropping pattern and levels of crop diversification in Maharashtra using time series data for 43 years (1960–2002). The crop diversification of different crops (cereals, pulses, oilseeds, fruits and vegetables) has been estimated using five diversification indices, viz. transformed Herfindhal Index, Ogive Index, Entropy Index, Modified Entropy Index and Composite Entropy Index. The study has revealed that the share of cereals has declined steadily, whereas the share of fruits has increased remarkably during the period under study in all the regions of state. The cropping pattern of western Maharashtra has diversified with time for all the categories of crops, except vegetables. The Marathwada region witnessed a more diversified cropping pattern, during the earlier periods (1960–63, 1970–73, 1980–83), whereas the Vidarbha region ranked third in diversification of all crops. At the state level, a considerable diversification has been noticed in all crops with a slight increase in fruit crops and pulses and a slight decline in vegetables. The variation in diversification has not been noticed in cereals and oilseeds during 2000–03 over 1960–63. The study has suggested the need for creating a strong mechanism for marketing and processing of these non-foodgrains for converting them into value-added products so that farmers could get more economic benefits.