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D. PRADEEP KUMAR, N. VANI*, V. PRABHAVATHI AND P. SUMATHI
Department of Agri. Business Management, S.V. Agricultural Campus, Tirupati – 517-502.
The economics of medicinal and aromatic plants viz., coleus and palmarosa has been worked out using farm- level data from the districts of Chittoor and Mahabubnagar in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states respectively. The net returns over total costs have been found ` 161547.58 ha-1 in coleus and ` 77815.70 from main crop and ` 42568.57, ` 38385.33 and ` 34772.22 for ratoon I, II and III respectively.
Medicinal and aromatic plants, coleus, palmarosa
Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) are receiving considerable attention across the world because they offer a wide range of safe and cost effective, preventive and curative therapies which are useful in achieving the goal of ‘health for all’. Though there are a number of important medicinal and aromatic plants, this study is limited to two common plants, viz. Coleus (Coleus forskolii), palmarosa (Cymbopogan martini). Coleus is one of the most potential medicinal plants of the future due to its pharmaceutical properties. It is widely used in scenting of soaps, cosmetics and tobacco blending. Against this back ground. The present study has been taken up to estimate the economics of these two medicinal and aromatic plants coleus and palmarosa.
The study was conducted in Chittoor and Mahabubnagar districts in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states respectively. The list of growers cultivating the above said crops were collected from the selected villages and 30 farmers for each crop were selected randomly. The total sample represented 60 farmers. The primary data were collected through personal interview using a pre – tested schedule for the year 2014-2015.
The profitability of any enterprise depends up on income generating capacity and cost structure. Generally,
costs in any economic study are discussed under two categories viz., operational costs and fixed costs. In general, operational costs alone are reckoned as the cultivation costs by farmers ignoring the fixed costs. The profit and loss too worked out accordingly .But in any economic analysis of any business enterprise, the fixed costs are also taken in to account to arrive at total cost and compute net profits.
The particulars of cost of cultivation coleus are presented in Table 1. On an average the total cost of cultivation of coleus was ` 90452.42. It was found that, the operational costs accounted for a major share in the total cost of cultivation. The total operational costs were ` 74755.60.
It is evident that, the cost of both owned, hired human labour was the major cost component among operational costs with an amount of ` 47968 accounting for 53.03. The next important operational cost was manures and fertilizers with an amount of ` 11701.56 (12.94%) . The other items of expenditure in the order of importance were seed (5.52%), machine power (4.25%), cattle labour (2.31%), interest on working capital (2.11%) plant protection chemicals (1.51%), and, irrigation charges (0.97%).
Fixed costs per hectare were estimated at ` 15695.82 accounting for 17.36 per cent of total cost of cultivation. The rental value of owned land was the major cost item among the fixed costs which accounted for 11.06 per cent. Depreciation, interest on fixed capital and land revenue were other fixed cost items accounting for 4.27, 1.86 and
0.17 per cent respectively. The results were found in accordance with the findings of Guleria et al. (2014).
It is evident from Table 2 that, the cost of both owned, hired human labour was the major cost component among operational costs with an amount of ` 43348 accounting for 57.66 per cent of cultivation on palmarosa for the main crop. The next important operational cost was manures and fertilizers with an amount of ` 13686.83 (18.20%) main crop. The other items of expenditure in main crop in the order of importance were seed (6.46%), machine power (5.59%), cattle labour (3.09%), irrigation charges (1.50%), interest on working capital (1.23%) and plant protection chemicals (0.97%).
Fixed costs for main crop stood at ` 3687.44 accounting for 4.90 per cent of total cost of cultivation. The rental value of owned land was the major cost item among the fixed costs which accounted for 3.32 per cent. Depreciation, interest on fixed capital and land revenue were other fixed cost items accounting for 1.00, 0.53 and 0.05 per cent respectively. The results were found in accordance with the findings of Ramsuresh et al. (2012).
For ratoon-I the cost of labour (both owned, and hired) was the major cost component among operational costs with an amount of ` 29442 accounting for 69.16 per cent of cultivation on palmarosa. The next important operational cost was fertilizers with an amount of ` 7200 (16.91%) on palmarosa. The other items of expenditure in the order of importance were irrigation charges (2.42%), protection chemicals (1.65%), and interest on working capital (1.20%) plant, and on palmarosa farms. Fixed costs per hectare were estimated for at ` 3687.44 accounting for 8.66 per cent of total cost of cultivation. The rental value of owned land was the major cost item among the fixed costs which accounted for 5.87 per cent. Depreciation, interest on fixed capital and land revenue were other fixed cost items accounting for 1.77, 0.93 and 0.09 per cent respectively. In ratoon-II the cost of both owned, hired human labour was the major cost component among operational costs with an amount of ` 26144 accounting for 68.10 per cent of cultivation. The next important operational cost was fertilizers with an amount of ` 6500.70 (16.93%). The other items of expenditure in the order of importance were irrigation charges (2.53%), protection chemicals (1.64%), and interest on working capital (1.17%) plant. Fixed costs per hectare were estimated at ` 3687.44
accounting for 9.60 per cent of total cost of cultivation. The rental value of owned land was the major cost item among the fixed costs which accounted for 6.50 per cent. Depreciation, interest on fixed capital and land revenue were other fixed cost items accounting for 1.97, 1.03 and 0.09 per cent respectively.
In ratoon – III the cost of (both hired and owned), hired human labour was the major cost component among operational costs with an amount of ` 23092 accounting for 66.41 per cent. The next important operational cost was manures and fertilizers with an amount of ` 5986.96 (17.22%). The other items of expenditure in the order of importance were, irrigation charges (2.38%), protection chemicals (2.38%), and interest on working capital (1.33%) plant. Fixed costs were estimated at ` 3687.44 accounting for 10.35 per cent of total cost of cultivation (Ramsuresh et al., 2014).
The cost of cultivation of coleus and palmarosa was estimated by adopting the cost concepts used in farm management studies viz., Cost A 1, Cost A2, Cost B1, Cost B2, Cost C1, Cost C2 and Cost C3. Of all the cost concepts, Cost C2 is the most comprehensive cost as it covers both operational costs and fixed costs. The total cost of cultivation of coleus and palmarosa according to cost concepts was worked out and presented in Table 3.
It is clear that from Table 3 there was no leasing in activity among the selected farmers and hence cost A1 and cost A2 were the same. On an average, the total cost of cultivation (Cost C2) of coleus per hectare was ` 90452.42.
From Table 4 It is clear that there was no leasing in activity among the selected farmers and hence cost A1 and cost A2 were the same. On an average, the total cost of cultivation (Cost C2) was ` 75184.30 in main crop and same for ratoon I, II, and III, were ` 42568.57, ` 35385.33, and ` 34772.22 respectively.
From the Table 5 it is clear that the coleus farm recorded a yield of 1800 quintals per hectare. The gross returns obtained by ` 2,52,000. The total cost 90452.42. The net returns obtained was ` 161547.58 and returns per rupee of expenditure are ` 1.78.
Palmarosa
From the Table 6 it is clear that the palmarosa farm recorded a yield of 700 quintals of crop per hectare for main crop and for subsequent- ratoons as well. The average gross returns obtained were ` 1,54,000 in main crop and the same for ratoons were ` 1,40,000, ` 1,19,000,
` 1,05,000 respectively. The net returns obtained in were
` 78815.70, ` 97431.43, 83614.67, and ` 70,227.78 and returns of rupee expenditure during said cropping periods were ` 1.04, ` 2.28, ` 2.36, and ` 2.02 respectively.
According to the cost concepts analysis, Cost A1/ A2, Cost B1, Cost B2, CostC1, Cost C2, and Cost C3 were ` 75334.62, ` 77016.42, ` 87016.42, ` 80452.42,
` 90452.42 and ` 99497.66 on coleus farm respectively.
On palmarosa farms, Cost A1/A2, Cost B1, CostB2, Cost C1 Cost C2, and Cost C3 were main crop ` 69961.22,
` 70356.30, ` 72856.30, ` 72684.30, ` 75184.30,
` 82702.73 for main crop.
The coleus yield per hectare was 1800 quintals. The gross returns were ` 252000. In palmarosa yield per hectare was 700 quintals in each from main crop ratoon I, II, and III respectively, while the gross returns for the corresponding period years were ` 154000, ` 140000,
` 119000 and ` 105000 respectively.
The net returns per rupee of expenditure were ` 1.78 in coleus and the same in palmarosa were ` 1.04, ` 2.28,
` 2.36 and ` 2.02 for main crop and ratoon I, II and III respectively.
LITERATURE CITED