Economic Analysis of Rice Cultivation: A Study of Tamil Nadu

The book presents a comparative picture of the economics of cultivation of two popular high-yielding rice varieties, viz. IR 20 (Exotic Variety) and CO 37 (Location Specific Variety), in terms of their: (i) cost and return structure, (ii) determinants of yield and yield gap, (iii) the relationship between farm size and farm efficiency, (iv) inequalities in income distribution, (v) output supply and input demand elasticities in response to changes in their own prices and input prices, and (vi) the relative economic efficiency of IR 20 farmer groups. The study relates to the rabi season of the agricultural year 1985-86 in one of the most progressive villages called Gokilapuram in Madurai district of Tamil Nadu state. The analysis reveals the superiority of IR 20 variety both in terms of yield and profits. This speaks for the greater popularity of the variety in the state