Assessment of Marketable and Marketed Surplus of Major Foodgrains in Maharashtra*

摘要

The production of foodgrains in Maharashtra which was only 6.8 million tonnes in 1962-63, increased to 12.32 million tonnes in 2011-12. This increase in production was possible because of technology, price support and other institutional factors whichenabled the farmers to have surplus produce which could be marketed. The Green Revolution in the ！ate 1960s and early 1970s signaled the beginning of a more dynamic agriculture through the use of high yielding varieties which helped to overcome productivity stagnation. Agriculture, therefore, became more commercial and not merely for subsistence. Technology made it possible for integration of subsistence farmers also into the market economy. In this context, the amount of marketed and marketable surplus with producers assume importance. However, despite commercialization, Indian agriculture is still dominated by marginal and small farmers. In Maharashtra, 44.6 percent of holdings are marginal and 30.3 percent are small. These farmers who are resourcepoor often produce largely for self consumption and other requirements and may market the suplus, if any. Large farmers cultivating foodgrains may also retain for self consumption and other needs, but mostly market the surplus. The entire surplus produce however does not reach the market due to crop losses at various levels, such as field level losses during harvest and post harvest, losses during transport, storage, etc. It is in this context that marketable and marketed surplus assume importance.