Cost and Return Structure of Fertilizer Use in Paddy Cultivation: A Case Study of Vadipatti Village in Madurai District of Tamil Nadu

Abstract

India is the seventh largest by area and the second most populous country in the world. According to the information available, more than 70 percent of the country lives in rural areas and there has been a rapid irrigation of the masses of people depending on the rural push and urban pull. The net area sown is nearly 140-142 million ha. The net irrigated area is only 33 percent and the gross area is around 180 million ha. From a level of 50.8 million tons during 1950-51, the food grains production has reached 198 million tons by 2000-01. Rice is the biggest crop in the country in terms of area and production. In 1950-51, it was grown on 30.8 million hectares, which amounted to 31.6 percent of total area devoted to food grains. In 1999-2000, it was grown on 45 million hectares, which amounted to 36.6 percent of total area under food grains.

The rice based cropping system is prevalent in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Tamil Nadu. Agricultural helps to sustain the live hood of about 70 percent of the population. Increasing the agricultural production will increase the demand for the output of other sectors viz. fertilizer, pesticides, machinery, transportation and communication, varying with the level of technology used in agriculture. Without agriculture sector no other sector can survive.