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REPORT OF SURVEY ON FLORICULTURE, VEGETABLES, MEDICINAL CROPS AND FRUITS

 Chapter I

Introduction 

                 Historically Kerala economy is agro based and a major portion of the labour force is working in agriculture and related traditional industries like cashew, coir etc.  More than two third of the population in India depend on Agriculture.  Though the green revolution technologies enhanced agricultural productivity, it also widened the economic disparity in community life.   The introduction of capital-intensive technologies in agricultural sector has adversely affected a section of rural people due to in-access of the latest technology.                

                 Despite all the development efforts, agricultural workers in the unorganized sector are characterized by low income, high levels of insecurity of employment and poor condition of life.  In Kerala Kuttanad and Palakkad are the rice belt regions.  Reduced area of paddy cultivation, change in agriculture operations and introduction of machines in agriculture caused high levels of under employment and casualisation in agricultural sector.                

                 The peculiar agro-climate conditions prevailing in our state enables us to produce a large number of agricultural crops.  These crops are of two types.   Food crops and commercial crops.  In past, food crops were cultivated in vast areas with a view to feed our vast population.  Currently commercial agriculture is developing since it is one of the major sources of   foreign exchange for the country. 

                 It can be seen that the share of agricultural sector in the total SDP has been declining after 90’s and it is only about 10% of the total SDP in 2003-04.  But this sector employed 60% of country’s workforce.  Total area under cultivation is also reducing year by year due to urbanization and industrialization.  Hence it is the need of the time to change the traditional pattern of agriculture to a diverse cropping system. 

Crop diversification

            It is viewed as a shift from traditionally grown less remunerative crops to more remunerative crops. Crop diversification and modern variety of crops are practicing to reduce risk factors of crop failure occurring due to flood, draught etc.  Hence significant area shifted towards the cultivation of vegetables, fruits and herbs and it provides a more remunerative means to the cultivators.  They can earn more returns than traditional crops due to higher yields and higher price availability in the international market and generate much employment opportunities. However horticulture and floriculture development has gradually moved out of its rural confines into urban areas and traditional agricultural enterprises to corporate sector.  This trend has led to the adoption of improved technology, greater commercialization and professionalism in production and marketing.  Export oriented organisations like Vegetables and Fruits Promotion Council and joint ventures like Kumdumubasree, Horticulture Corporation with the support of Government are coming up covering almost all areas of the state. 

Total cropped area of Vegetable, Banana/ Plantain and other fruitsfrom 1999-00 to 2002-03

It can be seen that about 24% of the gross cropped area is utilized for the cultivation of fruits and vegetables between the year 1999-00 and2002-03.  We are exporting fresh fruits, vegetables, cut flowers, seeds, cereals, spices and processed products of fruits and vegetables.  But it is a paradox to see that we are depending other states for our need for vegetables, fruits and flowers to a certain extent.  However reliable statistics relating to the production, consumption, sales, exports etc of the above items are not available with the government.  Hence the government as per order GO (Rt) No.359/2003/Planning dated 26.09.2003 accorded sanction to conduct a survey “on the cultivation and trade on vegetables, fruits, flowers and herbs” to the Department of Economics and Statistics. 

Methodology 

            The survey was conducted in all the 14 districts taking Grama Panchayat / Municipality / Municipal Corporation as stratum.  Farmers having vegetables, flowers and herbs cultivation above 5 cents or farmers who are selling the above items for more than Rs.1000/- were listed.  From these lists, 25 cultivators each were selected from a Panchayat/Municipality/Corporation using systematic random sampling method.  Cases, in which the total number of cultivators in any item was less than 25, all of them were selected.  Persons having nursery of the above items were also included in the list.           

Similarly traders were also surveyed after preparing Block/ Municipality/Corporation list.  Traders selling vegetables, fruits, Medicinal herbs and flowers for Rs.500/- and above per day were listed separately.  From the list, 50 traders selected from each Block/ Municipality/Municipal Corporation using systematic sampling method.  Cases where the total traders were less than 50 in a stratum (ie, Block/Muncipality/City Corporation) all of them were selected.  From the selected cultivators details regarding cost, receipt etc of the crops and from the traders details regarding trade were collected in the schedules designed for the purpose.  The details such as area utilized for the cultivation of the items under study, their production, price obtained, cost of production, details regarding trade etc were inquired. 

Conduct of the Survey 

The survey was conducted during 2003-04.  Investigators carried out this work in addition to their normal duties, under the supervision of senior officers at field level.  The canvassed schedules were scrutinized, coded and validated in the district offices.  The data processing and table generation were done in the computer division of the Directorate.           

Objectives 

1.      To assess the number of cultivators engaged in the cultivation of vegetables, flowers and Medicinal herbs.

2.      To assess the number of traders dealing with the above items and fruits.

3.      To assess the area utilized for the cultivation of the above items.

4.      To study the details regarding Production, Consumption, Income, cost of cultivation etc relating to these items.

5.      To compare the economics of vegetable cultivation with other crops.

SCHEDULES

Four types of schedules were designed for the survey.

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