A Study on Area, Production and Productivity of Sesame in Kallakurichi District of Tamil Nadu – Trend Analysis

Abstract

Sesame is a major edible oilseed crop in India and Tamilnadu ranked sixth in area and production among the states. The current research examines the area, production and productivity of sesame in the state of Tamilnadu and the Kallakurichi district with the following specific objectives: i) To examine the trends in the area, production and productivity of sesame in the Tamilnadu state and Kallakurichi district and ii) To offer policy suggestions based on the results of the study. The Season and Crop Report of Tamilnadu over the years served as the source for secondary data. From the collected data, Trend analysis were done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The result of the study indicated that in the Tamilnadu state, the productivity of the sesame crop (CAGR: 1.9 per cent) has increased and in the kallakurichi district, both the production (CAGR: 4.2 per cent) and productivity (CAGR: 3.8 per cent) have increased over the past twenty years. There has been a significant decrease in both area (CAGR: -3.2 per cent) and production (CAGR: -1.4 per cent) in Tamilnadu and area (CAGR: -0.5 per cent) in the Kallakurichi district. Even though the productivity of the sesame crop has increased significantly in both the Tamilnadu state and Kallakurichi district, the area of sesame cultivation has not increased by farmers due to production and marketing constraints faced by them. The Agricultural Department and State and Central Government may provide institutional support for solving their constraints will have a long-term benefit for sesame farmers.