Economics Of Mandarin (Citrus Reticulata Blanco) Production In Dailekh, Nepal

A study was carried out to assess the production status of mandarin in Dailekh, Nepal in 2019. A total of 75 households were sampled by using simple random sampling technique and interviewed with the pre-tested semi-structured interview schedule. Mandarin producers were the main source of primary data. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test and independent-sample t-test were used for data analysis using SPSS and MS-Excel. Farmers were categorized into large holder farmers (n = 30) and smallholder farmers (n = 45) category based on the farm size. The variable cost of mandarin cultivation was NRs. 7663.19/ropani. The gross return of mandarin was found to be NRs. 12403.76/ropani with the profit of NRs. 4740.57. The BC ratio of large holder farmers was 1.82 and the smallholder farmer was 1.53 with the overall BC ratio of 1.62. The price of mandarin had been increasing every year since 2015 A.D. to 2019 A.D. Labour and Bordeaux paste costs shows positive and significant relation with income from mandarin farming while costing of FYM and land rent cost show negative but non-significant relation. Disease and pests (0.74) were identified as a major production problem and lack of technical knowledge (0.75) was identified as a major pre-production problem of mandarin farming. Likewise, delay payment to the farmers (0.76) was identified as a major marketing problem faced by farmers. Out of total respondents, 60% were found to be highly satisfied with mandarin farming and 69.3% of the farmers were willing to expand their mandarin orchard.