No abstract

Export performance of Indian walnut has been comprehensively analyzed in this study employing chronological data. The export of walnut from India has significantly increased over the years, but still constituted only 3 per cent of total world export. Between 1979 and 2012, the export of shelled walnut has significantly increased, at an annual growth rate of about 3 per cent, while walnut with shell has shown a declining trend over the years, implying widening of markets for value-added products of walnut. The export instability in quantity and value of both shelled and walnut with shell has declined over the years; however, the instability in unit price of shelled walnut has increased over the years. The decomposition analysis has revealed highest contribution of change in mean export quantity among the other components of change in the average export value of walnut. The unit value of Indian walnut export has been found lower compared to many other nations, indicating the possibility of a higher price by ensuring quality parameters as per global standards. The estimates of gravity model have revealed that per capita GDP, agricultural GDP, and consumption of importing partners, and also the Indian GDP are the significant factors determining Indian walnut export. The study has also unveiled unexploited potential of Indian walnut export to some trading partners. The study has emphasized on the improvement in quality of walnut, integration of production and value addition, export promotion and strengthening of bilateral ties with regular trade partners for enhancing export of Indian walnut.

The study has looked into the institutional credit in relation with agricultural productivity in Jammu & Kashmir. The results have revealed that although the credit deployment of scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) to agriculture has increased in absolute terms, its percentage share in the total credit outstanding has declined sharply. The intensity of agricultural credit has also declined over the years. Despite significant changes since 1980s, direct agricultural credit continued to contribute a higher proportion and had a spurt in late-2000s owing to the inception of banking reforms. The share of rural banks has declined due to a decline in the number of RRBs. Direct agricultural credit outstanding in different regions has revealed wide disparity across the state; Kashmir region alone received around 60 per cent while Ladakh region have a meagre proportion of it. The SCBs have been found advancing only 7.61 per cent of the credit requirement in the state and this gap is more pronounced in the Ladakh region. The estimates of simultaneous equation model have revealed a significant contribution of credit in enhancing agricultural productivity in the state. The study has given some policy suggestions for enhancement of growth and intensity of agricultural credit and revival of rural banks.

The study was carried out in two intermediate zones of Jammu and Kashmir to identify both farm specific and socio-economic factors that influence the technical efficiency (TE) and also to analyze the economic (EE)and allocative efficiency (AE) of wheat growing farmers to assess the level of possibilities to gain the desired level of productivity by improving all three types of efficiencies(TE, AE and EE)by estimating Cobb-Douglas Stochastic Production Function and Stochastic Profit Function. The study revealedthat how different cost components affect the profitability of production of wheat crop and also proposes that at how much level of efficiency, the farmer is producing the wheat crop and how much level of efficiency is yet to be obtained. The maximum likelihood estimates of the stochastic production function revealed that fertilizer and farmyard manure showed a negative and significant effect on wheat production. The coefficients of the frontier profit function revealed thatall input shows a negative and significant impact on wheat farmer profitability. Socio-economic factors show positive and significant relation with technical efficiency except cultivated area. The mean technical, economic and allocative efficiencyof farm households was found out to be 86 per cent, 71 per cent, and 83 per cent indicated that there is still scope for wheat growers to increase all the three efficiencies by operating at a full efficient level by proper utilization and allocation of existing resources and technology. This study provides crucial information for the farmers and also to the government about to formulate effective policy measures for attaining the sustainability of wheat crop in rainfed hilly areas of Jammu division.