3. INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTION Diversification is an integral part of the process of structural transformation of an economy, diversification in agriculture can mean any of the three situations : (1)A shift from less profitable crop (or enterprise) to more profitable crop (or enterprise) (2)Using resources in diverse but complementary activities (Vyas,1996). The first type can be viewed as a farmers response to relative price signals to adjust to the market conditions and The second type hints towards efficient allocation of resources.

4. Objectives 1) To examine cropping pattern changes in different districts of Marathwada region over a period of time 2) To study growth rates of area, production and productivity of major crops in different districts of Marathwada region 3) To study extent of crop diversification in different districts of Marathwada region 4) To identify determinants of crop diversification in different decadal periods.

5. METHODOLOGY The study was confirmed to the Marathwada region of Maharashtra state. Therefore, the analysis for the present study was extended to two divisions of Marathwada i.e. Aurangabad and Latur and for Marathwada region as a whole. The districts selected for the present study were Aurangabad, Jalana, Beed, Latur, Osmanabad, Nanded, Parbhani, and Hingoli. For the present study all the major food grain and non food grain crops of Marathwada region were selected.

6. Crops selected for the study 1) Cereals group - 1.Rice 2. Wheat 3.Jowar - Kharif and Rabi jowar 4.Bajara 5. Maize 6.Other cereals 2) Pulses group - 1.Tur 3.Mung 2.Gram 4.Other pulses 3) Oilseed groups - 1. Groundnut- Kharif and Summer groundnut 2. Soybean 3.Safflower 4. Sunflower 4) Commercial crops - 1. Cotton 2.Sugarcane

7. Data base The present study was based on secondary data. Time series (secondary) data on the area, production and productivity of selected crops, total food production, crop-wise area under irrigation, season- wise crops grown, area under high yielding varieties of different crops, net cultivated area, area sown more than once, gross cropped area, annual rainfall, year-wise fertilizer consumption, source wise irrigation, average size of holding, and other infrastructural facilities like number of regulated markets,no of tractors, agricultural advances, road length, number of working population, proportion of rural population, per capita income, state GDP and state income etc have been collected for the period 1980-81 to 2009-10. The data has pertained to a period of 30 years i.e. from 1980-81 to 2009-10, 2009- 10 is the terminal period of the study as consolidated data was available upto 2009-10 only.

8. Analytical tools and techniques

10. Growth analysis.

11. Quantification of crop diversification

12. Cont…..

13. Cont…

14. Y = a + b 1 X 1 + b 2 X 2 +………+ b n X n + U The explanatory variables will be considered as : X 1 = Per capita income (Rs / person), X 2 = Percentage of urban population, X 3 = Percentage of area under high yielding variety (HYV) of cereals, X 4 = Percentage of gross irrigated area to gross cultivated area, X 5 = Annual rainfall (mm), X 6 = Average size of land holding (ha), X 7 = Market density (number of markets per 1,000 ha of gross cropped area), X 8 = Fertilizer use (Kg/ha), X 9 = Road length ( square km per 1,000 ha of gross cropped area ), X 10 = Percentage of small and marginal land holders in total holdings, X 11 = Mechanization (number of tractors per 1,000 ha of gross cropped area ), and U = Error term.

16. Table 1. Change in cropping pattern in Marathwada region during 1980-81 to 2010-11 ( Area in “00” hectares ) Marathwada Region Period I%Period II%Period III%Period IV%Period V%Period VI%overall% Rice10932.1910361.8910441.889301.598661.394580.679051.55 Kh.jawar1022820.47998718.23958417.22810713.84705211.3153217.77838014.37 R.jawar1054121.091096120.001004818.061015317.341099717.641075815.711057618.14 Bajara35007.0042127.6946658.3845757.8144307.1136585.3441737.16 wheat28745.7520333.7119763.5525764.4024133.8730354.4324854.26 Maize______6251.0716392.6320863.057251.24 Oth.cereals4800.965310.977731.3910141.7317762.8523983.5011621.99 Tur28205.6433796.1740437.2740967.0041976.7344296.4738276.56 Gram17663.5318683.4118573.3423313.9826444.2437855.5323754.07 Mung______14132.4126514.2518912.769921.70 oth.pulses46809.36574110.4853569.6350708.6657719.2648827.1352509.00 Kh.gn10162.039741.788481.526241.074320.693110.457011.20 Summ Gn2010.405631.035230.942730.471940.312380.353320.57 Safflower27245.4533306.0825764.6321273.6319323.1017832.6024124.14 Soybean__120.021230.222680.4624623.95696510.1716382.81 Sunflower8601.7225954.7434936.2830195.1621843.5020482.9923674.06 Sugar cane6051.215811.0610791.9411221.9213412.1520773.0311341.95 Cotton658613.18699412.76766013.771023817.48937215.031236118.05886815.21 GCA49972 100 54797 100 55650 100 58560 100 62353 100 68484 100 58303 100 Note :- (Period I – 1980-81 to 1984-85, Period II – 1985-86 to 1989-90, Period III – 1990-91 to 1994-95 Period IV- 1995-96 to 1999-2000, Period V – 2000-01 to 2004-05, Period VI -2005-06 to 2009-2010 Overall Period- 1980-81 to 2009-2010)

17. Change in cropping pattern in Marathwada region during 1980-81 to 2010-11 ( Area in “00” hectares )

18. Table.2 Compound growth rates of area, production and productivity of major crops in Marathwada region ( Note :- *,** Significant at 5 Per cent and 1 Per cent level respectively, NS- Non Significant )

19. Cont.. ( Note :- *,** Significant at 5 Per cent and 1 Per cent level respectively, NS- Non Significant )

20. Table 3. Measurement of crop diversification :-Decadal Diversification indices for various districts of Marathwada region as a whole with its Divisions IndexPeriod Aurangabad Division AurangabadjalnaBeed Latur Division LaturOsmanabadNandedParbhani Marathwada Region EI P-Ist0.960.920.970.930.971.020.950.810.931.00 P-IInd1.010.991.000.961.010.980.970.850.951.04 P-IIIrd1.020.971.000.971.081.021.030.940.981.11 overall1.000.960.990.961.021.010.990.870.981.05 MEI P-Ist0.760.730.770.740.780.810.760.640.740.80 P-IInd0.800.790.800.760.800.780.770.670.760.83 P-IIIrd0.810.770.800.780.860.810.820.750.780.88 overall0.790.770.790.760.820.800.790.690.780.84 CEI P-Ist0.720.690.730.700.730.760.720.610.700.75 P-IInd0.760.75 0.720.760.740.730.640.720.78 P-IIIrd0.770.730.750.730.810.77 0.700.740.83 overall0.750.720.740.720.770.760.740.650.730.79 Note : 1. EI-Entropy Index, MEI-Modified Entropy Index, CEI- Composite Entropy Index 2. Period I- 1980-81 to 1989-90, Period II – 1990-91 to 1999-2000,Period III-2000-01 to 2009-10 3. Overall period- 1980-81 to 2009-10

21. Measurement of crop diversification :- Decadal Diversification indices for various districts of Marathwada region as a whole with its Divisions Note : 1. EI-Entropy Index, MEI-Modified Entropy Index, CEI- Composite Entropy Index 2. Period I- 1980-81 to 1989-90, Period II – 1990-91 to 1999-2000,Period III-2000-01 to 2009-10 3. Overall period- 1980-81 to 2009-10

22. Table 23. Measurement of crop diversification :- Crops group wise Diversification indices for various districts of Marathwada region as a whole with its Divisions Index Crop group Aurangabad Division AurangabadjalnaBeed Latur Division LaturOsmanabadNandedParbhani Marathwada Region EI oilseed group0.490.460.420.510.500.460.490.450.440.50 cereals group0.62 0.640.57 0.540.640.430.550.66 pulses and commercial group 0.620.600.640.570.64 0.600.530.590.64 MEI oilseed group0.390.360.330.410.400.360.390.360.350.40 cereals group0.500.490.510.45 0.430.510.340.440.53 pulses and commercial group 0.490.480.510.450.51 0.480.420.470.51 CEI oilseed group0.310.290.270.330.320.290.310.290.280.32 cereals group0.430.420.440.39 0.370.440.290.370.45 pulses and commercial group 0.410.400.430.380.43 0.400.350.390.43 Note : EI-Entropy Index, MEI-Modified Entropy Index, CEI- Composite Entropy Index

23. Measurement of crop diversification :- Crops group wise Diversification indices for various districts of Marathwada region as a whole with its Divisions Note : EI-Entropy Index, MEI-Modified Entropy Index, CEI- Composite Entropy Index

24. Table 4. Estimated regression function for the determinants of crop diversification for Overall crops Table No. 4 Estimated regression function for the determinants of crop diversification for overall crops Aurangabad DivisionLatur DivisionMarathwada region CoefficientsStandard Errort StatCoefficientsStandard Errort StatCoefficientsStandard Errort Stat Constant0.8424070.1885714.4673090.9241750.1748225.2863851.0122900.1918495.276502 X1X1 0.0000920.0073630.012558-0.0127750.006589-1.938850-0.0076980.005182-1.485676 X2X2 -0.0121890.022448-0.542977-0.0117880.010197-1.156023-0.0097380.011650-0.835892 X3X3 -0.0004110.001668-0.246359-0.0025840.001363-1.895288-0.0016920.001875-0.902398 X4X4 -0.0002210.001228-0.1801930.0009840.000430**2.2874020.0004680.0004521.036978 X5X5 -0.0039920.003185-1.253203-0.0021480.002085-1.030445-0.0063720.002339-2.723828 X6X6 0.0007550.0006351.1893590.0000730.0003180.2287660.0004810.0003111.548870 X7X7 0.0000320.0000480.6723450.0000640.000032**2.0135990.0000260.0000251.030208 X8X8 0.0069330.0162610.4263920.0018630.0091850.2028340.0214800.011629**1.847177 X9X9 -0.0000420.000811-0.0521570.0013960.000933*1.4969420.0005620.0007580.741297 X 10 0.000002 1.2563130.000002 0.8629080.0000030.000002*1.843440 X 11 -0.0192730.007467-2.5812220.0011790.0091310.129164-0.0212830.007090-3.001829 R Square0.780.910.95 F6.3518.44**35.96**

25. 1) In Marathwada region gross cropped area increased from 49.97 lakh hectares to 68.48 lakh hectares during the period of thirty years i.e net increase in the area was 18.51 lakh hectares. 2) Area under cereal crops and mung decreased during last thirty years period. That area diverted to soybean and maize crop while area under rabi jawar diverted to gram. 3) Soybean is emerging as one of the major crop of Marathwada region which occupied 6.96 lakh hectares out of 68.48 lakh hectares gross cropped area. Area increased by 10.17 percent to gross cropped area during study period. 4) Latur division diversified more than that of Aurangabad division which showed continuously increased trend of Entropy, Modified Entropy and Composite Entropy index.

26. Cont…… 5) Overall Latur district diversified more and Nanded district diversified less in Marathwada region.Aurangabad and Beed districts diversified somewhat at equal level. 6) About cereals group, Jalana and Osmanabad equally diversified where low level of diversification has been found in Nanded district. 7) In case of cereals group,mechanization showed significant impact on crop diversification in Aurangabad district where fertilizer use was significantly affect on crop diversification in Latur district.In the case of oilseed group,percentage of small and marginal land holders in total holding showed positively significant impact on oilseed group in Aurangabad district where average size of holding showed positive significant impact on crop diversification in Latur division.

27. The following implications are bought out from the important findings of the present study.  It is revealed that cotton, kharif jawar, rabi jawar, soybean, tur and gram are major crops of Marathwada and therefore thrust should be given for the growth of these crops.  Soybean appeared to be one of the important emerging crop in the cropping plan and hence the farmers should be encouraged to grow this crop by extending incentives in the form of quality seeds,credit facility,technical knowledge,assured price and processing facilities in network.  Crop diversification index showed significant possible indices indicating higher degree of diversification in Latur division while low diversification in Aurangabad division.This should be noted while deciding the policy on cropping plan in these regions

28. Acharya, S.P. Basavaraja, H., Kunar, L.B., Mahajanashetti, S.B. and Bhat, A.R.S. (2011). Crop diversification in Karnataka : An economic analysis. Econ. Res.Rev., 24: 351-357. Kumar, A. and Basawarja, H. (2010). Changes in cropping pattern in Northern Tansitional zone of Karnataka. Agril.Situ. in India., LXVII (8): 447-452. Shete, V.R., J.R. Pawar and S.B. Dangat (1997). Growth performance of Agriculture among the different regions in Maharashtra. Indian.Jrnl. of agril.Econ., 52(3):449-450.

29. Thank You