Vol. 9, Issue 3 (2020)

Author(s):
Virendra Singh, Aparna Chausali and Om Prakash Maurya

Abstract:
This paper makes estimation of input use in rice cultivation in kharif and summer seasons along with resource use efficiency in two seasons. The study also showcases the attitude of farmers towards summer rice cultivation by recording their perception about impact on ground water exploitation and soil fertility. The primary data pertaining to 2015-16 was collected from 90 farmers of Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand through personal interview. The study revealed that average use of critical inputs such as seed, chemical fertilizers and irrigation was higher in case of summer rice, while the use of human labour, tractor power and plant protection chemicals was higher in case of kharif rice. There existed suboptimal use of these factors and inefficiencies in input use in both the seasons, but the inefficiencies were more pronounced in summer season, indicating more scope for improving yield by intensifying input use. The study stresses that farmers are aware of the ill effects of rice cultivation in summer season on underground water and soil fertility, but in the quest of realizing higher yield they are knowingly overexploiting these resources.