Enhancing Productivity Growth and Profitability of Post-rainy Sorghum and Pearl Millet in SAT India through HOPE Project Initiatives

This paper has evaluated the impact of HOPE (Harnessing Opportunity for Productivity Enhancement of Sorghum and Millets) interventions on adoption, productivity and profitability enhancement over the base level. The results have indicated that the area under adoption of improved cultivars has increased by 60–90 per cent in post-rainy sorghum in Maharashtra and 30–40 per cent in millet in western India. There has been a significant reduction in the yield gap by 25–35 per cent in sorghum and 66 per cent in millet. There has been an impressive increase in productivity as well as net returns by 28–44 per cent in sorghum and more than 40 per cent in millet due to adoption of HOPE improved technologies. The incremental cost-benefit analysis of technologies has indicated that the added returns exceeded the added cost, reflecting higher net margins. The key constraints expressed by the farmers towards adoption of improved technologies included shortage of labour, moisture stress, non-availability of seeds, non-availability of suitable equipment, lack of technical know-how, shortage of fertilizers, low price and lack of access to credit. It is crucial that sorghum and millets need strong governmental support and favourable policies and programs for food, fodder and better nutrition through value addition and demand creation, as it is one of the prime crops in the semiarid regions of India.