Protected Cultivation of Horticultural Crops as a Livelihood Opportunity in Western India: An Economic Assessment

Prakash Pachiyappan, Pramod Kumar, Krishna Viswanatha Reddy, Kotamraju N. Ravi Kumar, Srinivasa Konduru, Venkatesh Paramesh, Gandhamanagenahalli A. Rajanna, Shashidhar K. Shankarappa, Duraisamy Jaganathan, Sheela Immanuel, Ankush L. Kamble, Raman Selvakumar, Kingsly T. Immanuelraj, Boopathy Raja Manogaran, Anbukani Perumal, Umamageswari Maruthanayagam and Sivalingam Niranjan
Additional contact information
Prakash Pachiyappan: ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram 695017, Kerala, India
Pramod Kumar: ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India
Krishna Viswanatha Reddy: ICAR-Central Tobacco Research Institute, Rajahmundry 533105, Andhra Pradesh, India
Kotamraju N. Ravi Kumar: Department of Agricultural Economics, ANGRAU, Bapatla 522034, Andhra Pradesh, India
Srinivasa Konduru: Department of Agri-Business, University of California, Fresno, CA 93740, USA
Venkatesh Paramesh: ICAR-Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute, Goa Velha 403402, Goa, India
Gandhamanagenahalli A. Rajanna: ICAR-Directorate of Groundnut Research, Junagadh 362001, Gujarat, India
Shashidhar K. Shankarappa: Unit of Livestock Farm Complex, Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Rajeev Gandhi South Campus, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India
Duraisamy Jaganathan: ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram 695017, Kerala, India
Sheela Immanuel: ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram 695017, Kerala, India
Ankush L. Kamble: ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai 400061, Maharashtra, India
Raman Selvakumar: ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India
Kingsly T. Immanuelraj: ICAR-National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research, New Delhi 110012, India
Boopathy Raja Manogaran: Department of Livestock Production Management, Veterinary College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chennai 600051, Tamil Nadu, India
Anbukani Perumal: ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India
Umamageswari Maruthanayagam: Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru College of Agriculture and Research Institute, Karaikal 609603, Puducherry, India
Sivalingam Niranjan: ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 12, 1-17

Abstract: Protected cultivation is an innovative way of raising seasonal and off-seasonal crops under a controlled environment. Vegetables and flower crops have tremendous potential to augment productivity, generate employment, utilize land efficiently and enhance export. This study was undertaken to assess the economic feasibility of protected cultivation in the high export potential zones of the Pune and Nasik districts of Maharashtra, India, by employing project analytical tools and the regression model. The results revealed that the cultivation of flowers and vegetables under protected cultivation was highly lucrative with high investment. The protected cultivation of rose and capsicum had higher cultivation cost (300%), gross return (250%) and net return (190%) as compared to open cultivation. Moreover, most of the crops grown in polyhouses are highly profitable at different discount rates (7%, 10% and 12%), whereas a few crops were rewarding under shade net condition with subsidies. Factors such as literacy ( p < 0.05), income ( p < 0.05), access to subsidy ( p < 0.05) and the risk orientation index ( p < 0.01) were found statistically significant in technology adoption. In the context of a changing climate and shrinking land resources, water scarcity, incidence of pests and diseases, an ever-increasing population, low productivity under open conditions and changes in consumer’s preference are the drivers for switching over to protected cultivation. In the recent past, protected cultivation has been gaining importance in different parts of the country, including Maharashtra. The policy implications are creating modern infrastructure, enhanced application of ICTs, maximum crop production with minimum utilization of land and institutional support to promote technology on a commercial scale.

Keywords: economic assessment; western India; horticultural crops; protected cultivation technology; commercial scale (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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