This paper has studied the impact of crop diversification on dietary diversity of households in different regions of Tamil Nadu. Two different types of data set were used: (1) National Sample Survey Organization's (NSSO) consumer expenditure survey data for the years TE 2004-05 and TE 2012-13, and (2) Cropping pattern data from Season and Crop report for the years TE 2004 and TE 2012-13. Multiple linear regression model was used to study the linkages between crop and dietary diversification. The study has revealed that dietary diversification of Cauvery delta zone, Northern zone and Northeastern zone was parallel with crop diversification. The crop diversification influenced positively the dietary diversification, whereas vegetable diversification was negatively related with diet diversification, irrespective of income groups in the state. Also, larger household size, presence of own land, older age and higher education level of household-head have been found positively related with dietary diversity of households in Tamil Nadu. The current nutrients intake pattern has been found about 50 per cent of the RDA, particularly of crude fibre and iron and about two-thirds in case of energy and vitamin A. The nutrient intake gap is further widened in low-income non-farm groups. Appropriate nutritional security programmes maybe initiated particularly covering children, pregnant women and aged people.

The present study was designed to evaluate the state wise Basmati and non-Basmati rice production performance in India. The study is based on the time series data on area production and yield which were compiled from various sources for a period of 39 years (1980-81 to 2018-19). The sate wise analysis considers for the major basmati and non-basmati production sates by merging the newly divide states to parents’ sates like Telangana to AP etc. While considering overall period in basmati area (6.01%) production (10.55%) and yield (4.28%) shows positive growth rate with 1 per cent level of significance. Allover India shows positive growth rate like area (0.24%), production (1.95%) and Productivity (1.70%) with 1 per cent level of significance. For India, in overall period it is more stable as Area (2.89), Production (6.07) and yield (4.5) give low instability percent. Special attention program is need to enhance the production of rice in Assam and Orissa were two states are in lowest category in terms of productivity, so effects may be taken to increase the productivity in Assam and further increase from medium to high productivity states in case of Andhra Pradesh.

No abstract

India is the world's largest producer and leading exporter of basmati rice. India produces about 70 per cent of the total world basmati rice production and the rest is produced by Pakistan. During 2017-18 the country has exported globally about 40.56 Lakh tonnes of Basmati Rice and 86.48 Lakh tonnes for Non-Basmati rice, the worth of 268.70 billion and 229.68 billion respectively. Basmati rice has got good export demand and fetches good export price in international markets due to such uniqueness. The higher price of basmati rice in international market made basmati rice as export competitive product. The present study is to analyze the export performance and its competitiveness of basmati non-basmati rice in India. In this paper rice trade dynamics of changes in terms of value of exports of basmati and non-basmati rice from India to different export markets have been measured by employing the Markov-Chain model. U.A.E. and Saudi Arabia are found to be stable destinations for Indian basmati rice exports from Markov-Chain results. Whereas, Benin, Bangladesh and UAE are found to be major destinations for non-basmati rice exports. The most unstable markets among the non-basmati rice importing countries were Cote D Ivoire and Liberia with the zero per cent retention. In order to sustain in the international market, Indian export price needs to be competitive besides improvement in quality and sanitary standards.

Aims: The main aim of this study is to examine the growth rate of consumption of pesticides in India and Tamil Nadu. Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out using the time series data on pesticide consumption collected from secondary sources from 1990 to 2020 for India and for Tamil Nadu, the data were collected from 2011 to 2021. Methodology: The compound annual growth rate is used to calculate the growth rate of consumption of pesticides. The data is segmented for every 10 years and decadal growth rate was also examined. Results: The overall compound annual growth rate of pesticide consumption is negative(-0.44 per cent) and the decadal average was found to be -5.27%, -0.73% and 1.81% for the decades 1990-2000, 2001-2010 and 2011-2020 respectively for India. The growth rate for different types of pesticides was found to be declining (-2.26 per cent) for insecticides, however it is increasing for fungicides (2.65 per cent) and herbicides (0.99 per cent). CAGR indicates that there is no change in growth of pesticide consumption in Tamil Nadu. Conclusion: The trend in the pesticide use has been decreasing over the period and it shows that the total quantity of pesticides used in the country has been continuously decreasing which is a healthy sign for the environment. It may due to increase in the area of organic farming, practices like IPM  and increase in the use of biopesticides.

The purpose of this study is to examine the coconut sector's growth performance and instability in the world context. Since Indonesia, Philippines and India are the world's biggest producer of coconuts which accounted for 75 per cent of overall production in the world and contribute around 80 percent of the total land for coconut farming. Area, production, and yield of coconut were collected from Faostat and ICC websites based on secondary data from 1990-91 to 2020-21. The study period was divided into period I (1990-91 to 2005-06) and period II (2006-07 to 2020-21). The study examines growth patterns using the compound growth rate, measures instability using the Coppock’s instability index, and investigates the role of area and yield on production using decomposition analysis. The results revealed that growth rate of area was positive for Indonesia, Philippines and Indonesia for all the period. But production trend was negative in respective countries due to yield trend shows negative growth on period II. Similar results were found from instability index and decomposition analysis. This may due to poor management practices, severe diseases and pests of the plantations. Hence, greater attention needs to be given to the states where to attract and encourage many new farmers into coconut cultivation by accessing modern technology, quality plantations, credit facilities by support of government.

The inherent dynamism within a system leads to structural changes of that system. Over the past, the structural changes that are occurring in the world economies are affecting the subsystems one or another way. The development of a nation like India reflects from the development of its states. The current study focuses on the structural shifts within primary sector of Andhra Pradesh (includes Telangana State’s data) more precisely, economic linkages between irrigation and between the dynamic changes in cropping pattern. It also explores the implications of dynamic changes happened in state’s agriculture after green revolution. The shifts from period 1970 – 2020 are studied using secondary data. Growth rate and conventional analyses (percentages and averages) are used to study the effects of shifts in irrigation on cropping pattern of the state. The results exhibit, declining ecofriendly surface water irrigation systems (tanks) by twofold compensated with increased extraction of groundwater resources by fivefold. As a consequence, decline in net cropped area and cropping pattern shifts adopting mono-cropping or double cropping under rice as major crop followed by cash crops or pulse crops under groundwater and canal systems of irrigation aroused. While coarse cereals have lost prominence, cash crops like chilly (93 per cent) have gained importance under irrigation. The prominence of livestock sector in the state can be realized as net irrigated area under fodder crops improved to 50.61 per cent over the decades. Overall improvement in net irrigated area with canal and groundwater systems of irrigation is current scenario of the state. Pressurized irrigation technologies should be promoted to maintain sustainability of tank irrigation structures. Cropping patterns including coarse cereals should be adopted for maintaining nutritional security. Adoption of reclamation measures to attain ecological balance between groundwater and surface water irrigation sources.

The agriculture sector plays a vital role in the Indian economy. It contributes about 17 per cent of the country's total GDP. According to Indian Economic Survey 2018, it is estimated that percentage of agricultural workers of total workforce would drop to 25.7 per cent by 2050 from 58.2 per cent in 2001. Mechanization in the form of tractors, seed drills or tube wells (pump sets) enable a farmer to grow more crop and earn more by increasing the input use efficiencies. Further, adoption of mechanization ensures double benefit of reduction of cost and increase the productivity and production. Though there has been a substantial progress of mechanization in agriculture through various programmes, the level of mechanization in the Eastern region was lesser (8.18 hrs/ha) than the country's average (11.56 hrs/ha) resulting lesser crop productivity and net returns. This study intends to assess the effect of increased use of mechanization on farm income and profitability in Eastern region with the comparison of India as whole. The study used the plot level cost of cultivation data (DES-Directorate of Economics and Statistics) to compare the level of inputs (labour, animal and machine) use for two period viz., 2000-01 and 2013-14 and estimated translog cost functions to calculate labour demand elasticities and Allen Elasticities of Substitution between labour and other factors like animal and machine power under two different period at constant price . This study found that in Eastern region the use of man labour and animal labour in cultivation practices has declined over the years. However, it was noticed that the employment of animal labour in this region was significantly higher while it was lower in case machine labour for almost all the crops cultivated in comparison with the country. Further, the study found that the share of payment on machine labour has increased over years across crops for Eastern region as well as India as whole, however, the increment was comparatively higher in India. The lesser level of cross price elasticities clearly states that machine labour is a weak substitute to man and animal labour. This implies that mechanization had not been strong alternate to animal and man labour for crop production activities in Eastern region.