An economic analysis of rainfed pulses in Tamil Nadu

Even though India has achieved self-sufficiency in food production, it is yet to achieve nutritional security. Pulses play an important role in a balanced diet. Pulses consumption has increased over the years. However, it remains below the dietary requirement. Pulses are mainly cultivated as cash crop in rainfed areas and also as ricefallow crop. In this context, an attempt has been made in this study to estimate the cost and return of pulses cultivation. The study was conducted in 31 districts of Tamil Nadu. Random sampling technique was employed and a total of 400 farmers were selected. Green gram, black gram, red gram and horse gram were selected for analysis. Results show wages to be accounting for a major share of total variable cost, followed by fertilizers and manure. Cost of cultivation of selected crops under rainfed situation per hectare was found to be Rs.6996, Rs.5928, Rs.5769 and Rs.4562 for red gram, green gram, horse gram and black gram, respectively. The maximum net return was realized from red gram followed by horse gram and black gram.