Baseline Scenario of Postrainy Season Sorghum Economy in Marathwada Region of Maharashtra. Working Paper Series No. 38

Nagaraj, N and More, S and Haldar, S and Bantilan, M C S and Chandrakanth, M G (2013) Baseline Scenario of Postrainy Season Sorghum Economy in Marathwada Region of Maharashtra. Working Paper Series No. 38. Working Paper. International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh, India.

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This working paper forms part of the Harnessing Opportunity for Productivity Enhancement of Sorghum and Millets in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia (HOPE) Project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The financial assistance from the HOPE Project is greatly acknowledged. We are thankful to Dr George E Okwach, Project Coordinator, HOPE for Sorghum and Millets, ICRISAT – Bamako for providing all the support from the HOPE project. The authors would like to thank the HOPE project partners from Parbhani, Maharashtra for their valuable inputs. We are especially thankful to SS Ambekar, Coordinator & Sorghum Breeder, Sorghum Research Station, MAU, Parbhani, Maharashtra; for providing necessary information. We are also thankful to G Basavaraj, Scientist (Economics), ICRISAT, Patancheru, for his technical inputs, Belum VS Reddy, Principal Scientist, ICRISAT; Ashok Kumar, Scientist, ICRISAT; and Dr Prabhakar, Principal Scientist, Directorate of Sorghum Research, Solapur; for their critical inputs. The team would like to thank HOPE farmers from Parbhani, Maharashtra for sparing their valuable time in providing the information and Senior Research Fellows who helped in data collection. We are also thankful to the reviewers Dr ST Borikar, Dr VR Kiresur, Dr BVS Reddy and Dr PG Chengappa who provided critical comments and suggestions.

Abstract

Postrainy season sorghum is one of the major dietary staple cereal crops in Marathwada region supporting food and fodder security. Currently, the productivity levels are extremely low because of limited adoption of dryland technologies by the poor. Thus, the HOPE project aimed at increasing the productivity of sorghum and pearl millet by 35-40% over the base level in South Asia through introducing on-shelf technology and improved management practices in the targeted clusters over a period of four years. In this regard, the baseline survey was conducted in the primary project intervention area (HOPE) where improved technologies have been introduced and in matching control villages with comparable agro-ecological and market conditions in non-intervention area (non- HOPE), where improved technologies have not been made. The objective of the baseline survey was to appraise the existing situation of the targeted cluster villages with respect to adoption of technologies, productivity, income, yield gaps and other socioeconomic issues. The coverage area of improved rabi sorghum varieties were around 15% in HOPE and 5% in non-HOPE areas, where the yield gap was estimated at 40–50% as compared to the potential yield for the improved varieties. The productivity of rabi sorghum in the HOPE area was 1.17 t/ha and in the non-HOPE area 1.2 t/ha. However, in the HOPE area farmers are receiving a net return of ` 2017 per ha and in the non-HOPE ` 2421 considering all costs. The annual per capita income in the HOPE area is ` 32,029, while in the non-HOPE area, it is ` 40,669, of which 65% is derived from crop enterprise only. There is significant involvement of women in activities such as land preparation, intercultural operations, harvesting and threshing. Moisture stress especially during sowing and/or terminal stage and shortage of labor especially during harvesting and threshing were some of the key critical constraints expressed by the farmers in adoption of improved rabi sorghum technologies.

Item Type: Monograph (Working Paper)
Divisions: UNSPECIFIED
CRP: UNSPECIFIED
Subjects: Others > Agriculture-Farming, Production, Technology, Economics
Depositing User: Mr Sanat Kumar Behera
Date Deposited: 10 Jun 2013 15:39
Last Modified: 25 Oct 2013 04:46
URI: http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/6847
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