Economics of Cheery Production in Himachal Pradesh: A Study of Different Farm Size

Abstract

Background: Human labour, bullock power, mechanical power, water for irrigation, seeds, manures and fertilizers, insecticides and pesticides and cultivation practices, etc. are the major inputs in the farm production and are costly and scarce therefore requires proper allocation and utilization. Cheery production could be a better alternative to the apple production therefore it is necessary to study the resource use efficiency of different size classes by calculating the elasticity coefficient of different inputs (labour man-days, Land, Manures and fertilizers, Seeds and others) with regards to output and to determining the economics of scales of cheery production in the study area. Methods: The study was conducted during the Year 2018-2019 at Jubbal and kotkhai block of district Shimla of Himachal Pradesh from where input-output data for cherry production was collected from the sample of 200 farmers of different holdings and was analyzed with the Cobb-Douglas production function. Result: We have found that in marginal farms human labour is a predominant factor followed by manures and fertilizers and seeds whereas in small and medium farms land is a dominating factor and has a key role to play to enhance Cherry production.