Acreage Response to Weather, Yield and Price of Groundnut and Sesamum Growers in Gujarat for Farmer's Sustainability

This study has analyzed the acreage response of groundnut and sesamum crop by using the Nerlovian partial adjustment model. The secondary data for the period 1985–86 to 2014–15 on area, production, yield, rainfall etc., for main crop and competitive crop was collected from various official sources. The competitive crop was selected on the basis of logically as well as statistically by calculating the correlation coefficient between crop areas. It has been observed that the sowing season rainfall is playing the significant role in deciding the area of both the crops by the farmers. On assessing acreage response positive and significant relationship of rainfall and negatively significant influence of MSP was observed on the groundnut acreage response. This may be due to the increase in the area of competitive crop and the availability of labor with the farmer at the time of harvesting. In case of sesamum crop, the lagged area and sowing season rainfall was having positive and significant influence on sesamum area and yield of cotton as a competitive crop was found negatively significant, implying that increase in the yield of competitive crop results into decrease the sesamum area.