RA 00110.pdf - OAR@ICRISAT

Socioeconomic Factors
Management. There are significant managerial differences
in the dryland farming villages of India.
Farmers born in traditional farming households and
farmers who receive hands-on farming training
proved to be better managers.
Farm prices. The cost of inputs, particularly fertilizer
and labor, have increased sharply in recent
years, but prices for farm produce have not kept up.
Fertilizer prices increased by 60% from 1980-81 to
1981-82. While large and efficient farmers can
rapidly adjust to fluctuations, the small farmers are
caught. Farm prices should be tied to industrial
prices.
Credit and insurance. Farmers may not necessarily
strive to maximize yields, particularly in a subsistence
economy based on diversified farming.
Small and marginal farmers do not have the ability
to mobilize resources and cannot afford to take
risks. For example, next to improved seed, fertilizer
brings about the most visible changes in productivity.
Large farmers readily adopt recommended practices,
but even though small and marginal farmers
are convinced of the utility of fertilizer application,
they do not fully adopt the recommended levels
because of the financial risk. Farmers are sensitive to
price increases, lack of credit, and should be provided
with cheap credit covered by insurance to
insulate against bad weather.
Transport. Small and marginal farmers have limited
marketable surpluses, and middlemen are the ultimate
beneficiaries if the produce is taken to regulated
markets.
Rural warehouses. It is necessary to develop a
network of rural godowns (warehouses) to stockpile
surplus production, and provide credit or advance
payment that would partly ease the financial limitations
of small and marginal farmers (Dwarakinath
1980).
Future Outlook
India has 143 million ha of arable land. Nearly 50%
is to be irrigated by 1990. The area under pearl millet
has remained relatively stable, about 11 million ha
over the past 30 years (10.58-13.93 million ha from
1954-1985). It is unlikely that a substantial pearl
millet area would be lost to irrigation and other
crops. Pearl millet production could be stabilized at
over 5 million t during the 1980s. Productivity
crossed the 500 kg ha' 1 mark in 1980-84, and could
be elevated to 2000 kg ha -1 . Pearl millet continues to
play a significant role in Indian food production as
well as the economy.
Given the will and improved seed, and some fertilizer
and irrigation where feasible, the productivity
and production of pearl millet could be increased
two- to four-fold. Substitution for rice and wheat by
millets in food products, identification of new uses
for pearl millet, development of white pearl millets
and pearl millets with defined uses, price supports
assured by firm procurement, distribution of millets
during low production years, and utilization in food
for work and nutritional networks, all would accelerate
the growth, development, and utilization of
pearl millet, an indispensable cereal of the semi-arid
and arid tropics.
References
A I C M I P (All India Coordinated Millets Improvement
Project). 1977-86. Progress reports. Pune, Maharashtra,
India: A I C M I P .
A I C M I P (All India Coordinated Millets Improvement
Project). 1980. Annual report 1979-80. New Delhi, India:
Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
A I C M I P (All India Coordinated Millets Improvement
Project). 1983. Millets Workshop, Apr 1980, Coordinator's
review. Pune, Maharashtra, India: A I C M I P .
De Rajat, and Gautam, R.C. 1987. Management practices
to increase and stabilize pearl millet production in India.
Pages 247-253, these proceedings.
Dwarakinath, R. 1980. Performance, potential and constraints
in agriculture—The Karnataka case. Pages 94-100
in Indian agriculture: performance and potential: proceedings
of a seminar organized by the Leslie Sawhney Programme,
1979, Bangalore, India (Deshpande, A., and
Bapat, S.B., eds.). Delhi, India: Jain Publishing House.
F A O / U N E S C O . 1977. Soil map of the world. V o l . V I I .
South Asia. Paris, France: UNESCO. 117 pp.
Harinarayana, G. 1980. Prospects of millets research in
1980's. Presented at the A l l India Coordinated Millets
Improvement Project Workshop, 17-19 Apr 1980, Hisar,
Haryana, India.
Harinarayana, G. 1982. A I C M I P : developments since
1977. Presented at the A l l India Coordinated Millets
Improvement Project Workshop, 26-28 Apr 1982, Coimbatore,
Tamil Nadu, India.
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