Disparities in the Ownership of Assets, Income and Consumption Expenditure among Farm and Non-Farm Households in Hoshiarpur District of Rural Punjab

Abstract

Disparities in the ownership of assets, income and consumption expenditure of households were increasing in the rural as well as urban areas of the country. The study was undertaken to examine the disparities in the ownership of assets, income and consumption expenditure among 200rural farm and non-farm sampled households in Hoshiarpur district of Punjab. The reference period of the study was 2017-18. The results showed that the average value of total assets of rural farm households was 21.46 times than the average value of assets owned by non-farm households. The distribution of land was found more unequal among farm and non-farm households. A large majority of non-farm households were landless and few of them were uneconomic size of landholdings. Moreover, the average sampled farm households earned `2, 63,786 per annum from all the agricultural and non-agricultural sources, whereas non-farm households earned only 60 percent of the total income earned by farm households. The income level of artisans, agricultural and non-agricultural labour households was found very low mainly due to high rate of illiteracy, low level of education, lack of ownership of productive assets and absence of highly paid job opportunities. The average value of household assets, income and consumption expenditure of farm household was positively associated with the farm-sizes. The study concluded that there was high level of disparities not just between the farm and non-farm households but also inside the farm and non-farm households in the Hoshiarpur district of Punjab.