Economic feasibility and resource use efficiency of water chest nut production in water-logged areas of eastern India

摘要

Water chestnut (Trapa bispinosa) is an edtble aquanc plant that grows abundantly in the lakes of Kashmir and waterlogged areas of Eastern India a especially in states of West Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. They are scooped up from bottom of the lake in small nets and constitute almost the only food for nearly 30,000 people for at least five months. The water chestnut has long history in India. It has been commercially cu tivated in many parts of India from ancient times, particularly in the eastern and southern regions where water logging is a problem. To study the economic feasibility of water chest nut in Eastern region a study was conducted covering the states of Orissa and West Bengal. The study revealed that water chest cultivation is economicallyviable crop for waterlogged areas of Eastern India with an annual returns of Rs 24,705/ acre.