Returns from Pulses Based on Market, Economic and Natural Resource Valuation Method in Rajasthan — A Zonal Analysis

The study has examined the nutrient consumption level, nutrient and irrigation subsidies based on plot-level data collected from 600 households for the period 2008–09 to 2010–11 for Rajasthan under CCS scheme. The net returns of various pulses to the farmers’ society and environment have been estimated across different zones in Rajasthan. The study has found that pea ( 96,462/ha), arhar ( 30,795/ha), lentil ( 2,50,281/ha) and gram ( 13,076/ha) are the pulses providing highest net returns to the farmer at market price in different zones. After deducting the cost of subsidies, which is a cost to the society, moong ( 12,062/ha) and gram ( 12,837/ha) in the arid and semiarid zones and pea ( 91,354/ha) and arhar ( 18,163/ha) in the central and south-eastern humid zones gave highest net returns at economic price. The estimated results for technical, allocative and cost efficiency indicated that the farmers were not operating at optimal scale and there is a large scope for increasing output through factors which are under the control of farmers. Lentil and arhar have been found to be the most costefficient while moong is the least cost-efficient pulse crop. In most of the pulses, on an average, the overwhelming cause of inefficiency was technical rather than allocative.