Resource use efficiency of banana cultivation in Thoothukudi District of Tamilnadu
*K. Hepzibah Julie Jeyaseeli
Department of Economics, Pope’s College Autonomous, Sawyerpuram, Thoothukudi District-628251 India Affiliated to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Abishekapatti, Tirunelveli – 627012, Tamil Nadu India
ABSTRACT
Fruit cultivation is a key factor in determining a country’s success. Fruit production and consumption per person are commonly used as indicators of a nation’s standard of living. It is commonly known that fruits are important for human nutrition. Fruits are the main source of certain minerals and essential vitamins that are needed to maintain optimal health and strengthen resistance to disease. In this country, organic banana farming has become more popular in recent years as worries about the harmful effects of unrestricted chemical use have grown. The false stem of the perennial herb banana plant allows it to reach a maximum height of five metres. Because they are inexpensive and have a high nutritional value, bananas are consumed in large quantities. Analysing the effectiveness of resource use in banana farming in the Thoothukudi District of Tamilnadu’s Alwarthirunagari and Karunkulam taluks is the study’s main goal. According to the study, in both taluks, plant protection has a factor price ratio and marginal value productivity that are greater than one. It is thought that both of the banana plantations in the taluks sensibly use plant protection. The cost of tillage practices divided by the marginal value productivity of human labour is less than one in both taluks. It implies that these variables are not being used to their full potential by the planting in these taluks. In contrasting the two taluks, Karunkulam and Alwarthirunagari, it is clear that the Karunkulam plantation uses all three input elements more logically than the Alwarthirunagari plantation. In conclusion, tillage techniques, plant protection, and the marginal value productivity of human labour are positively and statistically significantly correlated. This suggests that the Alwarthirunagari and Karunkulam taluks would produce more bananas if these inputs were applied more frequently.