ISHS Acta Horticulturae 752: I International Conference on Indigenous Vegetables and Legumes. Prospectus for Fighting Poverty, Hunger and Malnutrition
ECONOMICS OF PRODUCTION AND POST-HARVEST MANAGEMENT OF POINTED GOURD (TRICHOSANTHUS DIOICA ROXB.) UNDER DIARA ECO-SYSTEM OF THE LOWER INDO-GANGETIC PLAINS |
| Authors: | M.K. Wadhwani, S.B. Singh, R.N. Sahoo, I.P. Abrol |
| Keywords: | Diara land, rabi, kharif, zaid, meandering, braiding, cucurbitaceous crop |
| Abstract:
Growing of cucurbitaceous vegetables in diara ecosystem constitute a distinct type of farming in India. The diara land, broadly classified under active flood plains, features a riverine landscape with unstable land surfaces, subject annually to flooding, erosion, and redeposition is situated between the natural levees. The fresh silt and clay deposits received every year during rainy season make this land suitable for growing cucurbitaceous crops. The cropping pattern in these areas is based on rain fed subsistence farming. The pointed gourd (Trichosanthus dioica Roxb.) is one of the most nutritive and wholesome indigenous vegetables grown in diara areas of the lower Indo-Gangetic plains of India. The study is based on primary data (2001-02) collected from a sample of 144 diara farmers selected through the Multi-Stage Random Sampling Technique. The study revealed that level of technology adoption was much below the recommended level, which resulted in a wide gap between the realized and potential yield (34%). The net returns were positive. The post-harvest activities were not properly performed which resulted is loss of quality and quantity (25% at producers’ level). The producers’ share in consumers’ price was estimated as 54%. Lack of technology and finance were found to be important constraints in adoption of technologies, and limited by market imperfection in realizing reasonable price/profit in production of pointed gourd. To meet the domestic a well as the export demands of vegetables it is essential to integrate the various technologies from production to post-harvest. | |
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