Economics of Potato in Himachal Pradesh

The study pertains to economics of potato cultivation in Himachal Pradesh with special reference to Lahaul-Spiti district. Himachal Pradesh has its name for the production and supply of seed potato in the country. Lahaul-Spiti which is also a cold desert region, has emerged as the potential area for the production of seed potato. Moreover, potato plays a dominant role in the economy of this most inaccessible and most sparsely populated region of our country. The region has a comparative advantage in the production of disease-free quality seed potato due to its conducive agro-climatic situation. At present the district has the potential to produce 25 percent of the state output, out of which about 70 percent is exported as seed to other parts of the country. However, due to difficult hilly terrain and scarce resources, the tribal farmers of Himachal Pradesh face lot of problems in improving the efficiency of production and marketing of their produce. Being solely a commercial crop, the resource allocation as well as marketing mechanism plays a dominant role in enhancing economic well-being of the farmers. The study entails both these aspects. The present publication aims at popularizing optimum method of cultivation of potato alongwith other important crops and efficient marketing system for highlighting the problems and constraints on production and marketing fronts. The study further explores the possibilities for enhancing the income of tribal farmers. The findings of this study would help chalking out the policy framework for future planning not only for Lahaul-Spiti region but also for other potato growing areas of the state as well as the country as a whole. Contents Chapter 1: Introduction; Chapter 2: Socio-economic Profile of the Sample Household; Chapter 3: Input-output Relationship; Chapter 4: Credit Requirement Under Different Farm Sizes; Chapter 5: Area, Production, Marketing Pattern and Supply of Potato; Chapter 6: Problems Faced by the Farmers in the Producing and Marketing of Seed Potato; Chapter 7: Summary and Conclusion.