Vol. 8 No. 1
Input use and technological change in cotton cultivation in different states of India
Author(s): S. CHATTERJEE, P. BANDOPADHYAY AND P.K.SAHU
Abstract: The nature of input use in cotton cultivation saw a change during the transition from traditional to hybrid cotton in the country. The paper attempts to evaluate the extent of technological change in cotton cultivation through the detailed computation of total output indices, total input indices and total factor productivity indices (TFP) along with the major factors determining the change in productivity of cotton over a decade (1996-97 to 2006-07) across the major cotton growing states in India. For computation of total factor productivity (TFP) of cotton, Theil-Tornqvist discrete approximation to the Divisia index: a superlative to linear homogeneous trans-logarithmic production junction was used for aggregation of all the factors of production in cotton cultivation for the seven major cotton growing states of India over the period under study. The cost of cultivation data of the respective states have been used for the entire computation and estimation. The paper highlights the fact that fertilizer use in cotton has become the prime contributor over the change in productivity level across most of the states in India. Farm mechanization and water use have become the key factors in Maharashtra, a traditional cotton belt for the overall change in productivity. Variation in input use and its nature explaining the insignificant growth in TFP indices will be important information for the industry in its marketing strategies and for the planners to identify the input support limiting to the cultivators.
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