Division of Agricultural Economics, Uttar Banga Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Pundibari, 736165, West Bengal, India
Online published on 13 December, 2019.
This paper assesses the economic viability of orchid cultivation in the hills of West Bengal. Farmers are categorized by farm size into Category 1 (500 sq ft), Category 2 (640 sq ft) and Category 3 (1, 000 sq ft). For each Category 1, 2 and 3, the cost of establishment of a farm is estimated at, respectively, Rs. 67, 118, Rs. 69, 871 and Rs. 159, 746, and the average net income is, respectively, Rs. 46, 354, ¹ 34, 143 and ¹ 1, 97, 760. The financial feasibility analysis shows a net present value of Rs. 97, 971, a benefit-cost ratio of 1.76 and an internal rate of return of 25.38%. The returns for all farm sizes are found to increase over time as orchid yields usually improve significantly.
