Cost of cultivation of potato
Cost of cultivation has importance in determining the net income from different vegetables crops. Hence, the details of per hectare cost and various factor costs for the production of potato was studied and presented in Table 4.
Among different items of expenditure, the overall cost of human labour and cost of machine labour ranked first with 21.97 per cent of the total cost of cultivation, followed by value of seeds (20.68%), value of chemical fertilizer (17.58%), value of pesticides (3.47%), depreciation charges (3.07%) and irrigation charges (1.69%). The share of human labour cost on all the categories of farms was higher because more labour was required for picking of potato.
Table 5 shows that the on an average total cost of cultivation (Cost C
2) per hectare of potato was ₹ 208587.5. It can also be observed that on an average Cost A formed 68.77 per cent (₹ 143443.6) of total cost, while Cost B accounted for 89.22 per cent (₹ 186099.4) of total cost.
A perusal of Table 6 shows the yield and gross income of potato cultivation. Yield of potato was observed 242.5 quintal per hectare, while gross income was ₹ 247370.4 per hectare.
The net return over different costs are presented in Table 7. That table revealed that the net return over cost A was ₹ 96395.5 per ha and over cost B ₹ 53739.7 per ha. The net return was observed to be at ₹ 34376.6 per ha for potato cultivation. The study on potato cultivation also revealed that the net income was ₹ 70013 per ha
(Kushwaha et al., 2019).
Table 8 presented the benefit cost ratio over different cost for potato cultivation. Benefit cost ratio over cost A was found to be at 1.64 and over cost B was 1.27. Benefit cost ratio over cost C
2 was observed to be at 1.20. The similar results were found in other vegetable studies like,
Rajwadi and Pundir (2022) where B:C ratio of tissue and non-tissue pointed gourd was 1.95 and 1.37.
Kushwaha et al., (2019) also revealed the B:C of 1.87 for potato cultivation in Kannauj district of Uttar Pradesh.
Marketing channels of potato in middle Gujarat
In Middle Gujarat, cropping pattern change from potato to tomato, chilli and brinjal. These are the three vegetables that give high returns to the farmers as compared to potato crops. Due to this, potato cultivation has been decreasing in Middle Gujarat over the last five to six years.
Considering potato cultivation decreasing, it was necessary to know the backward linkages of this crop including in context to know marketing aspects of this crop existing marketing channels, marketing costs, marketing margins, price spread, marketing efficiency were studiedand the results are presented below.
The existing marketing channels prevailing in Middle Gujarat was shown in Table 9. The table shows that around 77 per cent potato was supplied through channel II. This channel was most preferred by farmers because in this channel cold storage facility available so farmer can store potato to get better price in off season.
Channel wise marketing cost of potato in middle Gujarat (₹
/q)
Table 10 revealed that the producer-farmer incurred cost of ₹ 55.65/q (51.41%) in taking of the produce to the APMC. The wholesalers in marketing of potato incurred ₹ 36.75 (33.95%), which included transportation charge, grading and sorting charge, loading and unloading charge and spoilage loss. The retailers incurred ₹ 15.85/q (14.64%) in marketing of potato to the consumers. The producers, wholesalers and retailers together incurred a cost of ₹ 108.25 per quintal in sale of potato.
The costs incurred by different middleman in channel II is presented in Table 11. The table revealed that the producer-farmers incurred a cost of ₹ 63.50/q (35.02%) in taking of the produce to the APMC. The cold storage is available in this marketing channel for storage of potato. Cost incurred by cold storage was ₹ 60/q (35.02%), in which only storage charge are there. The wholesalers in marketing of potato incurred ₹ 41.95 (23.14%), in which transportation charge, grading and sorting charge, loading and unloading charge and spoilage loss were the major cost-items accounting for 23.14 per cent of the total marketing cost. The retailers incurred ₹ 15.85/q (8.74%) in marketing of potato. The producers, cold storage, wholesalers and retailers together incurred a cost of ₹ 181.30 per quintal in sale of potato. The share of different middleman,
viz. producer, cold storage, wholesaler and retailers in total costs of marketing was 35.20 per cent, 33.09 per cent, 23.14 per cent and 8.74 per cent, respectively. The similar result found in
Sen and Maurya (1998).
Price spread and marketing margin in supply chain of potato in middle Gujarat (₹
/q)
Margin added by intermediaries in all channels was shown in Table 12, which showed in channel I and II, total margin added was 230 ₹/q and 283.75 ₹/q, highest margin added in channel II followed by channel I in which only wholesaler and retailer were present. Whereas producers share in consumer rupee was highest in channel I (70.28%) whereas farmers sold produce directly to the wholesaler, while in channel II had 69.30 per cent producers share in consumer rupee. Similar result was found in
Pandey et al (2003) and
Chahal et al (1997).
Marketing efficiency of potato in middle Gujarat (₹
/q)
The marketing efficiency of potato in different marketing channels is presented in Table 12. It was revealed that the marketing efficiency of potato was highest in channel I (2.37) and in channel II (2.26). the similar result was found in
Naveen et al (2015) and
Gopalan and Gopalan (1991).
The major constraints in potato input system reported by farmers was unavailability of labour which forces the farmers to make a call for pre-harvest contracts with wholesalers and other suppliers, followed by long distance of input market, increasing prices of inputs, lack of timely availability of input on time, less extension activity and quality of inputs (Table 13).
Constraints in marketing of potato
The major constraints in marketing sub system for farmers was shown in below Table 14. The results show that major problems faced by farmers in potato marketing was that they were not getting fair price of their produce as regulated markets were not present, followed by delayed payments by pre-harvest contractors and other mandi wholesalers, higher cost of transportation, then distant markets, labour availability for harvesting, loading, unloading, spoilage of fruits and less space available for post-harvest handling.