Marketed Surplus and Post-harvest Losses of Jowar - Agmarknet

PREFACE
The Directorate of Marketing & Inspection (DMI), ever since its inception in the year 1935 has
been engaged in conducting surveys on the marketing of agricultural commodities. The available data of
marketable surplus based on the surveys conducted during earlier decades had become obsolete.
Therefore, a nation wide survey was initiated by the DMI for Estimation of Marketable Surplus &
Post Harvest Losses of important cereals in the year 1972. The survey included important cereals,
namely, Paddy, Wheat, Jowar, Bajra and Maize. However, this data also became obsolete over a period of
time and persistent demand from user organisations continued. Hence, a fresh nation wide survey was
initiated for Estimation of Marketable Surplus & Post Harvest Losses of selected foodgrains Paddy,
Wheat, Jowar, Bajra, Maize, Ragi and Barley amongst cereals and Arhar, Green Gram, Black
Gram, Gram and Lentil amongst pulses. The survey was conducted over a period of three years, i.e;
1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99. The sampling frame included 25 States, 100 selected districts and 15,000cultivator
households, selected from these districts. The selection of States, districts and cultivator
households was done in accordance with the stratified multi stage random sampling design
recommended by the Technical Committee in consultation with the Indian Agriculture Statistical Research
Institute (IASRI), New Delhi.
The data generated during the survey provided valuable information on various aspects of village
profile and cultivator households, crops grown, retention for different purposes, marketed surplus and
marketable surplus, post harvest losses at producer’s level etc.
The data generated is voluminous. The facility of computer data entry helped in consolidating
data from 7.23 lakhs schedules in a short span of time. This volume provides estimates based on the sample
survey in respect of production of Jowar, retention by the farm family household for various purposes, post
harvest losses at producer’s level, marketed surplus and marketable surplus etc..
I place on record my sincere thanks to the members of the Technical Committee particularly Dr.
A.K. Srivastava, Jt. Director and Dr. H.V.L. Bathla, Principal Scientist & Head, Division of Sample
Survey, Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute and Dr. P. Kumar, Professor and Head, Division of
Agriculture Economics, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, for rendering valuable guidance
from time to time.
I thank the National Informatics Centre (NIC), Department of Information Technology, (Ministry
of Communication & Information Technology), Government of India, and especially the office of NIC at
Nagpur which provided valuable software support in data entry and analysis. I also thank the Regional
Computer Centre, Calcutta for providing computer data entry service.
The field survey of such a voluminous nature required sincere and dedicated efforts by the officers
and staff of the D.M.I. and officers and staff of the Designated State Agencies. I place on record my deep
appreciation of their efforts in this survey.
I also place on record deep appreciation of sincere efforts of the Chief Project Co-ordinators and
their team of officers in managing the task of such gigantic nature; particularly Dr. G.R.Bhatia, Additional
Agricultural Marketing Adviser who has edited this report.
Last but not the least, I place on record my deep appreciation of the help and cooperation rendered
by the selected cultivator households without whose enthusiasm, support and responses during the course
of survey, the project would have not been possible.
The Government of India should not be regarded as assuming responsibility for any of the
statements contained in this report.
Faridabad s/d-
Dated, the 16/9/03 (P.K. Agarwal)
Agricultural Marketing Adviser
to the Government of India.