Supply response of coconut cultivation in Kerala Karunakaran N.1,*, Gangadharan K.2 1PG Department of Economics, EKNM Government College Elerithattu, Elerithattu – Post, Nilishwar – Via, Kasaragod – Dist, Kerala-671314, India 2Department of Applied Economics, Kannur University, Thalasserry Campus, Palayad, Kerala, India *Corresponding author: narankarun@gmail.com
Online published on 5 January, 2015. Abstract Kerala's agriculture development experience since the last few decades has been characterised by sharp decline in the area under food crops and the substantial expansion in the area under non-food crops. The analysis of the growth trends of area of principal crops in Kerala clearly revealed that the cropping pattern in the state made a significant change from food crops to non-food crops. Coconut came to the first position by pushing rice to the third. There must be certain determinants that motivated the farmers to make such a shift. Supply response in terms of area response and yield response models were used to analyse the determinants. The determinants estimated are lagged area, expected price of the crop, lagged yield, expected yield risk and price risk, average annual rainfall, irrigated area, etc. The analysis revealed that the irrigated area, rainfall and price risk factors are the significant variables affecting the area allocation of coconut in Kerala and the crop's yield response, irrigated area, rainfall and expected price risk are the strong variables. Top Keywords Coconut, growth trend, supply response, area response, yield response. Top |