A Study on Socio-economic Status of Tomato Growers in Solan District of Himachal Pradesh

Abstract

Tomato is one of the most consumed and produced horticulture crops in the world. It is more economical than food grains due to their higher production per unit area in less time as they provide a good source of income to farmers. The present study has been conducted to study the socio-economic status of tomato growers in the Solan district of Himachal Pradesh. The multi-stage sampling technique and pre-tested interview schedule were used for data collection for the study. A sample was collected from eight villages in Solan district to make a total sample size of 80 tomato growers in the study area for the agricultural year 2021-2022. Mean, percentage, frequency, and standard deviation were used to find out the socio-economic status of tomato growers. The result revealed that majority i.e., 80 per cent of tomato growers belonged to middle aged group and 33.75 per cent had primary school education. About 76.25 per cent of tomato growers had joint family with 3 to 7 family members. 77.5 per cent of tomato growers had 0.5 to 3.17 bigha under tomato cultivation with 11 to 42 years of farming experience. The gross income of tomato growers was Rs. 60,000 per bigha and net income was Rs. 38,353 per bigha. The output input ratio worked out to be 1.77. The majority i.e., 55 per cent of tomato growers had medium level of socio-economic class. This study suggests the appointment of more extension personnel at grass root level. This study will be helpful in developing suitable and effective extension programmes to increase tomato production.