Assessment of Growth Pattern and Intervention’s Effects of Oilseeds Mission on Groundnut Production in Andhra Pradesh, India

Abstract

High instability in crop area and yield resulted in production shortfall in Andhra Pradesh. As groundnut is raised mostly as rainfed kharif crop, yield during this season is half of the yield attained during rabi/summer season. State’s average productivity is also lower than the national average necessitating the importance of improving the oilseeds production in the state since the state contributing 8 % to India’s groundnut production. Oilseeds mission was implemented in all the districts of the state to scale up the production through various technological interventions. Therefore, understanding the pattern of production before and after the intervention is critically important for future directions and strategies required to scale up the groundnut production in the state. The present paper aims at assessing the district-wise growth performance of groundnut and examining the sustained effects of oilseeds mission. Using the time series data on area, production, and productivity (1997-98 and 2019-20), growth analysis and interrupted time series segmented regression analyses were employed. Groundnut area tended to decline in all the districts of the state. The rate of decline was higher in Cuddapah (7.47%) followed by Kurnool (3.82 %), Chittoor (3.79%) and Anantapur (2.13%) and the state recorded a negative growth rate of 3.49 % per annum. Production growth was found low in Anantapur district (1.39%) though the yield registered a 3.63 % growth per annum. Similarly, production in Chittoor district declined by 2.1% per annum though yield grew by 4 % annum due to higher fall in area.  The Cuddapah also witnessed a negative growth in production and production decline was around 2% per annum. However, productivity in the Cuddapah district grew at faster rate compare to other major districts and the productivity has grown at the rate 6% per annum. Groundnut production in the state declined by 0.4% per annum due to decline in both productivity and area by 3% and 3.4% respectively.  It is alarming to note that the maximum decline in production was 12.38% in the State mainly due to the maximum decline in production in major groundnut producing districts namely Anantapur (76%) followed by Kurnool (32.32%), Cuddapah (22.19%) and Chittoor (13.40%). The model results of interrupted time series show that though there is no significant intervention effect, there is sign of productivity improvement after the intervention. The coefficient of sustained effect for yield turned to positive from negative though not significant (immediate effect) for the major growing districts, indicating the long-term effect of the oilseeds mission.  Constraints relating to adoption of improved technology, non-suitability of improved technology, and lack of technical guidance were identified by studies affecting groundnut production in the state.  Therefore, addressing these issues through policy and technological interventions are crucial for sustaining the productivity and increasing the production in the major districts.