Economic Analysis Of Staple Food-grain Crops: Varieties’ Input-output Comparison, Economic Practices And Significance In The Economy Of District Swat

The present study aims to make economic analysis of staple food grain crops i.e. rice, wheat and maize in district Swat. Out of the total seven tehsils, three tehsils namely Kabal, Matta and Barikot were selected on the basis of purposive sampling technique. The selected tehsils were situated on the bank of river Swat where food grain crops were mainly grown.From each tehsil three villages each were randomly selected.The study is based on primary data which were collected through structured questionnaire using a sample of 200 farmers allocated proportionally.The respondents (farmers) were selected randomly from each village.Sample size for the selected villages was adequate because the villages were quite homogeneous in terms of land condition, cropping pattern, population and farming activities.For the analysis benefit-cost ratios, log-linear Cobb- Douglas production functions, stepwise regression and Wald test were used.Fakhr-e- Malakand (rice variety with benefit-cost ratio 3.41) was the most profitable variety as compared to all other rice varieties.Fakhr-e-Sarhad (wheat variety with benefit-cost ratio 2.36) was the most profitable variety as compared to all other wheat varieties. Azam (maize variety with benefit-cost ratio 2.24) was the most profitable variety as compared to all other maize varieties.For rice crop, the output elasticities of area, tractor hours, fertilizer, seed, labour and pesticides were 0.24578, 0.6712, 0.0789123, 0.871245, 0.12487 and 0.004871 respectively.For wheat crop, the output elasticities of area, tractor hours, fertilizer, seed, labour and pesticides were 0.61, 0.1220, 0.0789123, 0.871245, 0.12487 and 0.004871 respectively.For maize crop, the output elasticities of area, tractor hours, fertilizer, seed, labour and pesticides were 0.64123, 0.124587, 0.55461, 0.31244, 0.5874 and 0.08248 respectively. Proportional increase in the output of rice, wheat and maize was faster than the increase in the inputs of rice, wheat and maize respectively. The major pre and post harvest economic practices undertaken in food-grains crops cultivation were conservation of traditional varieties, land preparation, water management, transplanting, harvesting and drying, threshing and cleaning, transportation and straw management. The villagers used to derive their standard of living from food grain cultivation.The food grains were most closely connected with sources of income, labour force and capital employment, woman participation, labour distribution within the villages, food grain marketing, credit and financing, consumption pattern, price fluctuations, poverty alleviation, self-sufficiency, extension of markets, strengthening fertilizer business, mechanized farming, reduction in food grain shortages, children education, reduction in the social problems, extension in tractors and threshers market, prevailing brotherhood, increasing livestock production and reduction in the prices of those commodities which requires food grain as raw material.The per acre usage of labour for rice, wheat and maize was 55, 30 and 35 labours respectively.Majority of the food growers used to sell their produce in the village markets.The farmers mostly used non-institutional loans for farm activities.It is recommended that the government should launch policies for increasing cultivated area under food crops.Awareness should be given to the farmers to grow profitable varieties rather than traditional varieties. The farmers should only use recommended seed. Proper storage facilities should be provided to the food grain growers.Efforts should be made to increase farmers’ income through improvements in food grain quality, plus better utilization of its by-products.As proportional increase in the output of food grain crops was higher than their inputs, therefore, the inputs should be properly and efficiently managed so as to ensure higher productivity.