Comparative analysis of profitability and efficiency of conventional and organic pea production: A case of Northwestern Himalayas

• Published in: Trends in Horticulture Vol. 7; no. 1
• Main Authors: Thakur, Niyati, Sharma, Ravinder, Perumal, Anbukkani, Klate, Anshuman, Sharma, Shilpa, Sharma, Ajit
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 05.01.2024
• ISSN: 2578-1812; 2578-1812
• DOI: 10.24294/th.v7i1.3043

The cultivation of vegetables serves as a vital pillar in horticulture, offering an alternative avenue towards achieving economic sustainability. Unfortunately, farmers often lack adequate knowledge on optimizing resource utilization, which subsequently results in low productivity. Furthermore, there has been insufficient research conducted on the comparative profitability and efficient use of resources for pea cultivation. So, the present study was conducted to examine the profitability and resource use efficiency of conventional and organic pea production in Northwestern Himalayan state. Using the technique of purposive sampling, the districts and villages were selected based on the highest area. By using simple random sampling, a sample of 100 farmers was selected, out of which 50 were organic growers and 50 were inorganic growers, who were further categorized as marginal and small. The cost incurred was higher for the cultivation of inorganic vegetable crops, whereas returns and output-input ratio was higher in organic cultivation. The cultivation of peas revealed that the majority of inputs were being underutilized, and there was a need for proper reallocation of the resources, which would result in enhanced production. Further, major problems in the cultivation of vegetable crops were a high wage rate, a lack of organic certification, a shortage of skilled labour and a lack of technical knowledge.