Crop Diversification with Oilseed Crops for Maximizing Productivity, Profitability and Resource Conservation

Not AvailableIn the changing agricultural scenario in the world as a result of globalization. Agriculture in India has to face new challenges to compete at the global level in many agricultural commodities. Indian agriculture is now facing second generation problems like rising or lowering of water table, nutrient imbalance, soil degradation, salinity, resurgence of pests and diseases, environmental pollution and decline in farm profit. Crop diversification shows lot of promise in alleviating these problems through fulfilling the basic needs and regulating farm income, withstanding weather aberrations, controlling price fluctuation, ensuring balanced food supply, conserving natural resources, reducing the chemical fertilizer and pesticide loads, environmental safety and creating employment opportunity. Diversification is gradually taking place as a consequence of either launching macro-economic reforms in agriculture sector or rising domestic demand due to urbanization and increasing income levels. Crop diversification has been recognized as an effective strategy for achieving the objectives of food security, nutrition security, income growth, poverty alleviation, employment generation, judicious use of land and water resources, sustainable agricultural development and environmental improvement. The ability of the country to diversify the cropping pattern for attaining various goals depends on the opportunities available for diversification, the need for diversification and responsiveness of the farmers to these needs and opportunities. The opportunities for crop diversification emerge from technological breakthroughs, changes in demand pattern, development of irrigation, availability of marketing infrastructure and new trade arrangements. The necessity for crop diversification arise on account of the need for (i) reducing risks associated with yield, market and prices.,(ii) arresting the degradation of natural resources and the environment and (iii) attaining national goals like employment generation, self-reliance in critical crop products and for earning foreign exchange. Diversification is the process to take advantage of emerging opportunities created by technology, new markets, changes in policy etc. to meet certain goals, challenges and threats and to reduce risk (Chand and Chauhan,2002). Crop diversification is one of the major components of diversification in agriculture. Crop diversification may be adopted as a strategy for profit maximization through reaping the gains of complementary and supplementary relationships or in equating substitution and price ratios for competitive products. It also acts as a powerful tool in minimization of risk in farming. These considerations make a strong case for farm/crop diversification in India.( Gupta and Tewari,1985).Crop diversification in India is generally viewed as a shift from traditionally grown less remunerative crops to more remunerative crops. Market infrastructure development and certain other price related supports also induce crop shift. Higher profitability and also the resilience/stability in production also induce crop diversification. Crop diversification and large number of crops are practiced in rainfed areas to reduce the risk factor of crop failures due to drought. Crop substitution and shift are also taking place in the areas with distinct soil problems for example, the growing of rice in high water table areas replacing pulses and cotton., promotion of soybean in place of sorghum in Vertisols (medium and deep black soils).The crop diversification also takes place due to government policies and thrust in some crops over a given time, for example creation of Technology Mission on Oilseeds (TMO) to give thrust on oilseed production as a national need for country’s requirement to reduce imports.Not Availabl