Resources Use Efficiency of Cut Roses Farming in Karnataka, India

Abstract

The flowers represent the most sensitive, delicate and loving feelings that ours words cannot portray. In India, roses are an essential and popular flower. It is an ornamental herb planted for its visually appealing and long-lasting blossoms. India has ample sunshine, plenty of land and the availability of skilled labour, all of which contribute to our ability to cultivate flowers in various locations. The cut flower growing farmers were selected from the Bengaluru rural districts of Karnataka by employing the simple random sampling techniques. The Cobb-Douglas production function was employed to determine the resource use efficiency of rose farming in Karnataka. The results reveals that land, Farm Yard Manure (FYM), fertilizer and labour contributed positively to the flower production, while farmers followed closer spacing and used more Plant Protection Chemicals (PPC). FYM and human labour were the most significantly influencing variables in protected rose cultivation. However, PPC was negative but non-significant. The ratio of Marginal Value of Product to Marginal Factor Cost (MVP to MFC) showed that FYM, fertilizers and human labour were under-utilized in open-field cultivation, suggesting potential for higher use. In protected conditions, there is a scope to increase FYM, fertilizers and human labour to optimize returns from cut rose production. However, land use, planting materials and plant protection chemicals should be reduced to optimize returns in protected conditions. Reorganizing expenditure among resources based on MVP to MFC ratios is necessary to optimize rose production. This includes reducing the use of PPC and following wider spacing in open-field cultivation. India's rose farming industry can benefit from increased efficiency and resource utilization.