An Economic Analysis of Paddy Cultivation in Cuddalore District

In this paper an attempt was made to analyze economics of paddy cultivation in Cuddalore district. Based on area under paddy, three blocks namely Kurinjipadi, Kumaratchi and Vridhachalam were selected. The total sample size was 120 paddy growers. The study revealed that area and production of paddy crop was declining during the period 1998-2008 while the productivity was growing positively during the same period. During 2009-2019, compound growth rate of area, production and productivity of paddy was depicting an increasing trend due to the role-played by high yielding varieties which created greater affinity towards paddy crop. The cost of production of paddy per hectare was estimated to be Rs. 56,617. The average gross income was found to be Rs. 92,077 per hectare and net income was observed to be Rs. 29,712 per hectare. Excessive usage of nitrogen and phosphorous fertilizers could be reduced to decrease the production cost and increase the efficiency of inputs. Adoption of System of Rice Intensification (SRI) method was suggested to increase the productivity of paddy.