The Problems of Paddy Cultivators in Erode District:A Case Study

Agriculture as a sector has been playing a decisive role in shaping the overall growth trajectories of the Indian economy since independence. Paddy is an important crop cultivated in Erode District, an area having no sea coast of its own. Unfortunately the productivity for the year 2014 was not accompanied by enhanced fertility due to price fluctuations. As a result it has adversely affected the farmers and their production. In this back drop, the present study was undertaken to bring-out the demographic profile of the sample respondents, and to analyse the constraints faced by the paddy cultivators in the selected areas. Primary data was collected by means of a well designed questionnaire. This research used convenience sampling method for collecting the data. 650 sample respondents engaged in paddy cultivation were selected from various taluks of Erode district. Statistical tools like ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) and Henry Garrett Ranking Techniques were used in this research. The study has revealed that the mean level of the annual income remains same for all the three age groups of the paddy cultivators. It is found that majority of the male respondents have earned maximum level of annual income (205.7 thousands) than the female respondents in the study area. Majority of the respondents have felt that price fluctuation and lack of storage facilities were the top most problems in paddy cultivation and the availability of high resistance varieties and supply of fertilizers by government at subsidized price are the most felt future expected practices.