Economics of menthol mint cultivation in India: Shifting from traditional farming to income based farming

Abstract

The Mentha arvensis (menthol mint) is an important essential oil bearing plant and widely used in food, flavour, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Production costs of traditional crops are now increasing due to the large share of cash inputs and unsupportive market system. These factors have forced the farmers to shift towards other crops that have better potential returns compared to the traditional crops. In this backdrop, the cultivation of medicinal crops is less risky in terms of the incidence of pest attacks, diseases and has potential returns. The present study was conducted in Rampur district of Uttar Pradesh with the objectives to estimate the costs and returns of mentha growing farmers in mentha cultivation. The net return over total cost (cost D) was found to be the highest on large farms with 20215 per ha; followed by medium and small size group of farms with 15071 and 13849 net returns, respectively.