The production constraints and economics of peach (Prunus persica (L) Batsch.) cultivation in Punjab
and Uttarakhand have been presented. The investment in peach orchards has been found a profitable
business. The internal rate of return (IRR) has been found to vary from 20.98 per cent to 23.80 per
cent, depending on the size of peach orchards. The net present value, benefit-cost ratio and IRR at 12
per cent discount rate have been reported as Rs 44,807, 1.681 and 22.20, respectively for the overall
category of orchards. The economic productive life of peach orchards in Punjab and Uttarakhand has
been calculated up to 24 years. The optimum size of peach orchards is above 2.0 ha. It has been
revealed that the peach orchards are worth retaining as long as they give the income of Rs 5,713 over
the annual maintenance cost. The economic appraisal of investment methods has indicated that annual
amortization method may be preferred, because of its simplicity, efficiency and close to real situation
results. To achieve the targets of fruits production, priority should be given to proper post-harvest
management, including establishment of mechanical grading, packaging, on-farm processing, cold
storage and quality control measures to minimize post-harvest losses and provide remunerative prices
to the peach growers