Socio-economic features of mandarin (Citrus reticulata blanco) growers: A case study in Nagaland, India

Abstract

Socio-economic upliftment is the basis and prerequisite for all-round and sustainable development of a community. This study is an attempt to explore the socio-economic condition of the mandarin growers in Nagaland, India. In this study, two districts of Nagaland were included. An interview schedule was prepared for data collection. Altogether, 120 experienced mandarin growers were included as the study community. All important socio-economic variables were included in the study. The average age of the respondents was above 52 years. About 91.00 per cent of the respondents were staying in the kutcha house. The average landholding was 2.88 ha, and land allocation for mandarin cultivation was 0.57 ha. The farmers were experienced enough, but the average production of mandarin was 841.50 kg. The average annual income from mandarin cultivation was ₹27,219, and it was contributing about 23.10 per cent to the yearly average income of 17,799. In respect of information dissemination and technology transfer, mandarin growers were not getting minimum extension services. The public sector extension system's performance was relatively inadequate, and NGOs were somewhat supporting the study community. The overall socio-economic condition of the study community was relatively less satisfactory. An immense opportunity was there to up-scale the socio-economic situation by mobilizing and involving the young generation to take agriculture as an enterprise. Productivity and income from mandarin cultivation can be up-scaled to improve the socio-economic condition. Therefore, concerned authorities of the state government may take the initiative.