Assessment of marketed and marketable surplus of major foodgrains in Gujarat

The main objectives of the study were to estimate marketable and marketed surplus of selected foodgrains in Gujarat and to examine the role of institutional, infrastructural, and socioeconomic, factors in influencing household marketed surplus decisions. Wheat, bajra and tur were covered. The study covered five districts Vadodara, Panchmahals, Kheda, Junagadh and Banaskantha. Totally 359 farmers were surveyed. The study revealed that marketed surplus output ratio was found on the lower side because the farmer always insures minimum amount of (approximately 30%) output for self-consumption. If storage, seeds and pest removal is stepped up and the farmer given even greater support by more enthusiastic government machinery and officers, the food security of the farmers can increase. This is the only way the retention proportion of Gujarati farmers can be reduced, but this is a slow process, it will take decades not years. Earlier studies had different results ie a lower marketed surplus ratio for foodgrains like Wheat and Bajra. The onset of liberalization may not have led to greater emphasis on agriculture but has definitely led to a greater emphasis on the market as our results show.