Income Inequalities among Farm Households in Hoshiarpur District of Punjab

The main objective of the present study was to examine the inequalities in the levels, pattern and per capita income among the different farm households in the rural area of Hoshiarpur district of Punjab. Gini coefficients and Lorenz curve have been used to show the clear picture of income disparities among farm households. The study revealed that the gap in the levels of income between the marginal and the large farmers is increasing day by day. Majority of marginal and small farmers were living in vulnerable conditions. They are failed to meet their basic requirements due to low income earnings from agriculture sector. The annual income of average large farm households was 9.3 times greater than the annual income of the marginal farm households. The average household income and per capita income was directly associated with the farm-size in the rural of Hoshiarpur district of Punjab. The study suggests that the socio-economic conditions of farm households could be improved by the commercialisation of agriculture sector, cooperative farming and by providing the proper price of their crops.