Production efficiency of paddy farmers in Nepal: Case study of Chitwan district
2009
Nainabasti, A., Ehime Univ., Matsuyama (Japan) | Hu, B.
Increasing the production of cereal crops, especially paddy rice, could be a strong basis for poverty alleviation, national food security and the economic development of the country. The Nepal Government has been giving priority to increasing paddy production. However, production growth has remained either stagnant or declined over the past decades. Low paddy production directly affects the food supply and consumption level. This paper analyzed the paddy production efficiency and behavioral pattern of Nepalese farmers through a case study in the Chitwan district. The survey results show that there was a yawning gap among different farm sizes in terms of paddy production, input use, production cost, revenue and net income. Farmers with land holdings of 0.5 ha incurred a less income from paddy cultivation. By contrast, the larger land holding farmers had a greater net income and relatively high production efficiency. This paper illustrates that factor input, irrigation conditions, farmers' education level and disseminating agricultural information access/ extension services are the main issues affecting the paddy productivity in the study area. Strong evidence suggests that farmers should be organized in groups, trained, provided agricultural extension services, and equipped with modern tools so as to bring changes in productivity from a traditional to a modern farming system.
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