Working Paper: 299

Crop Diversification and Growth of Maize in Karnataka:
An Assessment

Komol Singha
Arpita Chakravorty

 

Abstract

Traditionally, Karnataka is an agriculture-based economy. With the dawn of the secondary and tertiary sectors, the agricultural sector was grossly neglected and consequently its contribution to the State’s economy has been declining constantly over the last few decades. On the other hand, the growing needs of the agricultural sector have been greatly felt with the growth of population, not only in terms of food security but also in providing employment. Crop diversification within the sector has also been noticed on a large scale and as a result, the growth in the production of maize has been the highest with CAGR at 8.5 per cent in the last three decades. Using one-way Least Squares Dummy Variable (LSDV) for 27 districts over 12 years, the present study explored that introduction of new hybrid seed (HYV) as one of the most important factors for significant growth of maize in Karnataka. Further, though the crop is suitable in the drier region, the role of timely rainfall also had a significant impact on the yield level.

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