Research Article
S.B. Sagar, H.C. Parmar & V.B.
Abstract
The present investigation was undertaken with a view to study the costs, returns and constraints in production and marketing of papaya (Carica papaya L.) in Middle Gujarat. A multistage random sampling design was used for selecting the sample. The study covered 4 talukas, 12 villages and 120 papaya growers (37 marginal, 18 small, 25 medium and 40 large) from Anand and Vadodara districts of Gujarat in the year August-2009 to January-2012 to study the production of papaya in Middle Gujarat. Results of the study indicated that papaya was highly capital intensive crop and average cost of cultivation (Cost C2) per hectare was Rs. 176660. On an average cost A (paid out cost) formed 61.64 per cent, while cost B accounted for 87.38 per cent of total cost. The highest expensive item of the expenditure was rental value of owned land was ranked first with 17.35 per cent of the total cost followed by human labour cost (16.57 per cent), saplings cost (10.05 per cent), managerial costs (9.09 per cent), interest on working capital (9.05 per cent), interest on fixed capital (8.39 per cent), manures and cakes (7.47 per cent), irrigation charges (6.92 per cent) and fertilizers (6.37 per cent) on overall basis. The average yield of papaya per hectare was 810.97 quintals on sample farms which realized Rs. 492024, Rs. 383126, Rs. 337652 and Rs. 360838 as gross income, farm business income, family labour income and farm investment income, respectively. The net profit per hectare over Cost C2 was Rs. 315364. The overall input-output ratio on Cost C2 was about 1:2.79. The bulk line cost per quintal on Cost C2 was Rs. 275.72 for papaya. On an average, the per quintal cost of production on the basis of Cost C2 was Rs. 217.84.