Returns from pulses in different regions of Rajasthan at alternative price scenarios

Rajasthan is a major producer of pulses along with Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. In 2013–14 Rajasthan had total area of 4197.7 thousand hectares under pulses with production of 2490.9 thousand tones and productivity of 593 kgs/ha. Moong and moth in kharif season and gram in rabi season are grown extensively in Rajasthan. The study is primarily based on plot-level data collected from the 600 representative households of 60 tehsils for block period (2008–09 to 2010–11) for Rajasthan under CCS scheme of Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India, New Delhi. The study examined the nutrient consumption level, nutrient and irrigation subsidies availed by the pulses per hectare. The net returns of various pulses to the farmer, to the society and to the environment were estimated across zones. Pea, arhar, lentil and black gram were the pulses providing highest net return to the farmer at market price. After deducting the cost of subsidies which is a cost to the society, moong and gram in arid and semiarid zones and pea and arhar in central and south eastern humid zones gave highest net return 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 large scope for increasing output through factors which are under control of farmers. Lentil and arhar were most technical and cost efficient pulse crops while moong is the least technical and cost efficient pulse. In most of the pulses, on an average, the overwhelming cause of inefficiency is technical rather than allocative.