Consumption of high value agriculture commodities in north eastern Karnataka-An economic analysis

The present study analyzed the consumption pattern of the households in rural and urban areas of North Eastern Karnataka region based on the primary data obtained from 180 respondents belonging to Gulbarga and Raichur districts. Log Log Inverse (LLI) form of Engel's equation was used to compute income elasticity. There was a significant difference in the consumption expenditure between rural and urban areas and across different income levels. The percentage expenditure share of HVAC was higher in rural area (21.56) in comparison with urban areas (13.69). The income elasticity was found to be higher in rural areas in comparison with urban areas and it has been found to vary across income classes. The magnitude of elasticity was found to be higher for lower income groups and these tend to decrease as income increased. The monthly expenditure on HVAC was influenced by monthly family income, family size and location. The study highlighted the influence of caste on consumption of non-vegetarian food items. The educated women included diverse vegetables in the daily diet and thereby improved the nutritional status of households.