Credit availed and income -expenditure pattern of marginal and small farmers in South Western Punjab

The present study was designed to bring out the income and expenditure pattern of marginal and small farmers as well as extent of credit availed by them in debt and suicide prone South-Western Punjab during the period 2014-15. By using multistage random sampling technique, a total sample of 120 farmers covering two districts, four blocks and eight villages of South Western Punjab were taken for the ultimate analysis. The extent of average annual gross income earned by the sampled households came out to be Rs 283482 per household. The figures with respect to marginal and small farmers were estimated at Rs 198337 and Rs 368627 per household, respectively. The expenditure on food was the major cost item followed by education and intoxicants respectively. The results brought out that the extent of agricultural credit availed by the farmers during the last five years was higher in case of the small farmers (Rs 110001 per farm) as compared to marginal farmers (Rs 74333 per farm). Corresponding to marginal farmers, an amount of Rs 28833 and Rs 45500 per farm respectively was taken from institutional and non-institutional sources which accounted for 38.79 and 61.21 per cent of the total loan availed, while the respective figures in case of small farmers came out at 65.30 and 34.70 per cent, respectively. The per cent share of total loan used by marginal farmers for productive purposes came to be relatively low (41.93%) as compared to small farmers (48.79%).