​Factors Affecting Production of Important Pulse Crops in Rajasthan: A Cobb Douglas Analysis

Abstract

Background: Pulses are one of the most important food crops grown globally owed to their higher protein content. It also accounts for larger financial gains of the agricultural sector by amounting for a large part of the exports. The present study was carried out to determine the factors affecting production of pulse crops in Rajasthan. Methods: This paper based on secondary data collected over the years i.e. from 2000-01 to 2017-18. The Cobb-douglas production function was used to the observation for the estimation of elasticity of selected variables contributing to the production of pulses in Rajasthan state, Cobb douglas type production function was employed to assess the effects of seed, fertilizer, manure, human labour, irrigation, bullock labour and plant protection measures on pulses production. Result: The results from the study have shown that fertilizer and plant protection measures were positively significant while the variable corresponding to irrigation water was negatively significantly affecting the gram production. The variables such as seed and irrigation water were found positive and significant, while plant protection measures had significant negative effect on black gram production. Only two variables namely, fertilizer and irrigation water were found positively significant out of estimating production function of green gram.