Resource Use Efficiency in Red Gram Production in Solapur District of Maharashtra

The objective of the present study was to examine the resource use efficiency in redgram production. The study covered two tahsils and eight villages of Solapur district of Maharashtra. A sample of 120 farmers was selected at random from the eight villages. The primary data for the year 2011–2012 were collected through a pretested schedule by survey method. Data were related to redgram output and inputs like human labour, bullock labour, machine labour, fertilizer and plant protection as resources. Cobb-Douglas productionfunction was fitted to the data. The results revealed that, the per hectare use of human labour was 51.57 man days which comprised of 31.28 man days of hired human labour and 20.44 man days of family human labour. Among the size class of farms, hired human labour was increased with the increase in size of holdings. 7. Per hectare use of bullock labour was 10.65 pair days. The bullock labour requirement was higher on large size farm i.e. 12.00 pair days followed by 10.26 pair days on medium size farm and 8.45 pair days on small size farm. At the overall level, coefficient of multiple determination (R²) turned out to be 0.64 indicating that 64.00 per cent variation in output is jointly explained by the above considered independent factors. The regression coefficient of variables Human labour (X₁), machine (X₃), nitrogen (X₅), plant protection (X₇) would result into 0.76 per cent, 0.31 per cent, 0.04 per cent, -0.16 respectively which were positively significant at one per cent level and plant protection (X₇) significant at 10 per cent level of significance. The other resources like bullock labour, (X₂) manure (X₄) and nitrogen (X₅) were nonsignificant. The marginal value product to factor cost ratio greater than unity in case of resource use efficiency likes Human labour (X₁), Machine (X₃), Manures (X₄), and Nitrogen fertilizers (X₅) at the overall level implying the achievement of higher resource use efficiency in case above mentioned variable where as the MVP/MC ratioof Bullock labour (X₂) and Phosphorus fertilizers (X₆) werefoundto be less than unity suggesting the inefficient use of these resources.