Impact of Research Investment on Technology Development and Total Factor Productivity in Major Field Crops of Peninsular India

Increase in agricultural productivity is induced by public investment in research. Several studies have analyzed the impact of research investment at the national level but such analyses at the state or regional level are a few. The present study is an attempt to analyze the pattern and quantify the returns to research investment made over a period of 25 years on major field crops such as rice, jowar, finger millet (ragi), red gram, groundnut, sunflower, cotton and sugarcane in a predominantly agrarian state of Karnataka in peninsular India. The impact of research investment was assessed in terms of technology developed and growth in total factor productivity. The agricultural research investment had profound effect on the development of technologies relating to crop varieties, plant protection and crop management: dominant in cereals and associated with higher research investments, which is in tune with the national objective of achieving food security. Consequently, the rate of return to research investment is quite high in case of rice and sugarcane, moderate for finger millet, cotton and jowar, negative in red gram, groundnut and sunflower. The TFP growth is also higher in crops that attracted higher research investments due to growth in yield as a result of continuous upgradation of technologies. There is a need to achieve higher level of productivity through enhanced research investment for most crops in the state particularly for pulses and oilseeds in order to achieve nutritional security as the state is already food secured.research investment, TFP, technology development, India, field crops, Crop Production/Industries, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, O3,

INDIAN STATE-LEVEL RICE PRODUCTIVITY AND ITS IMPACT ON POVERTY ALLEVIATION

This paper has a three fold contribution to the existing literature - 1) Indian state level sorghum input and output data for the period 1970-71 to 2000-01 is collected, 2) non-parametric and parametric productivity measures are estimated, and 3) examine the impact of percent acreage under high yielding varieties and irrigation, state domestic product, productivity and five year plans on poverty alleviation using error component and SUR models.Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

Potential Impacts of Seed-Sharing Agreements and their Implications for Seed Policies in South and Southeast Asia

The establishment of CGIAR-centres in the 1960s led to inter-country movement of crop germplasm through international research networks. Subsequently, multi-lateral agreements and agencies such as SAARC, ASEAN, etc. have also facilitated sharing of knowledge and research material among member-countries in the 1970s and 80s. Many less developed countries in South and South-East Asia were substantially benefited in the 1960s, 70s and 80s from free access of improved crop varieties and elite germplasm through these international and multi-lateral networks and agreements. For instance, the IRRI’s first high yielding variety, IR-8 of rice and CIMMYT’s first wheat varieties of Kalyana Sona and Sonalika have brought revolutionary progress in in Asia. In subsequent years, many countries in Asia have freely accessed large number of improved germplasms of other country-origin and used for further breeding programs. Nearly one-thirds of India’s rice varieties that were released until 2000, and half of the total released rice varieties by 2017 have genes of rice germplasm received from IRRI or other countries. Similarly, above 90 percent of Nepal’s rice varieties were developed using germplasm of other countries. Further large number of widely grown rice varieties in Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Myanmar have been introduced from India through informal channels such as cross-border exchange of seeds, marketing of seeds by private companies, etc. However, it may be noted that access to new crop varieties and their release for farmers by any country is formally allowed only from CGIAR system. Further improved germplasm of crops from other countries received through CGIAR’s networks are extensively utilized in many countries in its breeding program for development of new crop varieties

Impact of Research Investment on Technology Development and Total Factor Productivity in Major Field Crops of Peninsular India

Increase in agricultural productivity is induced by public investment in research. Several studies have analyzed the impact of research investment at the national level but such analyses at the state or regional level are a few. The present study is an attempt to analyze the pattern and quantify the returns to research investment made over a period of 25 years on major field crops such as rice, jowar, finger millet (ragi), red gram, groundnut, sunflower, cotton and sugarcane in a predominantly agrarian state of Karnataka in peninsular India. The impact of research investment was assessed in terms of technology developed and growth in total factor productivity. The agricultural research investment had profound effect on the development of technologies relating to crop varieties, plant protection and crop management: dominant in cereals and associated with higher research investments, which is in tune with the national objective of achieving food security. Consequently, the rate of return to research investment is quite high in case of rice and sugarcane, moderate for finger millet, cotton and jowar, negative in red gram, groundnut and sunflower. The TFP growth is also higher in crops that attracted higher research investments due to growth in yield as a result of continuous upgradation of technologies. There is a need to achieve higher level of productivity through enhanced research investment for most crops in the state particularly for pulses and oilseeds in order to achieve nutritional security as the state is already food secured

INDIAN STATE-LEVEL RICE PRODUCTIVITY AND ITS IMPACT ON POVERTY ALLEVIATION

This paper has a three fold contribution to the existing literature - 1) Indian state level sorghum input and output data for the period 1970-71 to 2000-01 is collected, 2) non-parametric and parametric productivity measures are estimated, and 3) examine the impact of percent acreage under high yielding varieties and irrigation, state domestic product, productivity and five year plans on poverty alleviation using error component and SUR models

Has the Green Revolution Bypassed Coarse Cereals? The Indian Experience

This paper analysed the growth performance of non-rice crop sectors by estimating total factor productivity (TFP) growth for the selected coarse cereals viz., maize, sorghum and pearl millet in India. The analysis indicates that the TFP growth contributed substantially to the output growth of coarse cereals over the past three decades. The TFP growth was higher in those states where coverage of irrigation was relatively high. TFP grew at an average of 1.4 percent per annum through out the Green Revolution (GR) period for sorghum in the sate of Maharashtra where about half of the India’s sorghum area is concentrated mostly under rainfed conditions. Although small in absolute terms over the past three decades, the overall findings suggest that GR technologies have contributed considerably to output growth of coarse cereals. The contribution of technological progress was considerably higher in those regions where MVs were adopted under irrigated/semi-irrigated conditions. This TFP’s contribution could further be seen more visibly if some irrigation and policy support are also provided to the coarse cereals.Total factor productivity, coarse cereals, green revolution, adoption rate, India

Has Green Revolution Bypassed Coarse Cereals? The Indian Experience

This paper analysed the growth performance of non-rice crop sectors by estimating total factor productivity (TFP) growth for the selected coarse cereals viz., maize, sorghum and pearl millet in India. The analysis indicates that the TFP growth contributed substantially to the output growth of coarse cereals over the past three decades. The TFP growth was higher in those states where coverage of irrigation was relatively high. TFP grew at an average of 1.4 percent per annum through out the Green Revolution (GR) period for sorghum in the sate of Maharashtra where about half of the India’s sorghum area is concentrated mostly under rainfed conditions. Although small in absolute terms over the past three decades, the overall findings suggest that GR technologies have contributed considerably to output growth of coarse cereals. The contribution of technological progress was considerably higher in those regions where MVs were adopted under irrigated/semi-irrigated conditions. This TFP’s contribution could further be seen more visibly if some irrigation and policy support are also provided to the coarse cereals