eChapters

Abstract

India, ranks first in marigold production among the loose flowers followed by chrysanthemum, jasmine and tuberose. Today, there is huge demand for natural colours of marigold, calendula, hibiscus, Petunia etc.in the international market.
 
A study on primary data was done to examine the production and marketing cost and profitability of marigold flowers. Data were collected through multistage sampling technique from farmers of Bhaderwah tehsil of Doda district in Jammu And Kashmir State.

Abstract

In this paper we studied the economics of marigold flower in Eastern Uttar Pradish Floriculture has assumed a definite commercial status. Its potential as a viable agribusiness has also been recognized. Diverse agro-climatic conditions permit perennial production in one part of the country. This sector provides employment to millions. Floriculture was practiced only on small farms but now a few large ones have been set up. The collected information were analyzed and presented in tabular form. Making small size mala on small and large farms were higher than the large size mala. There return per Rupee of investment were estimated that the  1.66, 2.08 and  1.84, in the account of small size, large size farms and overall, respectively. The percentage of total marigold produce sale indifferent marketing channels indicated that 90 per cent produce sold in II marketing channel where as next 10 per cent marigold flowers sold directly to the consumer i.e. channel I. The retailer’s level the marigold flowers were sold to the consumers in different forms such as flower basket, bouquet and in other farms as demanded by the buyers. The marketing cost and marketing margin (Price spread) may differ from the channel to channel. The marketing cost and margins also depend upon the form in which the product reaches the ultimate consumers.

Introduction

India is the largest producer of vegetables in the world after China, contributes over 13% to world vegetable production and occupies first position in the production of cauliflower, second in onion and third in cabbage. Amongst vegetables, India is the largest producer of Ginger and Okra and ranks second in Potatoes production (10%), Onions, Cauliflowers, Brinjal, and Cabbages, etc. During 2012-13, India exported vegetables worth  1516.33 crores. The average productivity of vegetables in the country is 17.61 t/ha.

1.    A farm is a

(a) Producing unit

(b) Consuming unit

(c) Both of a & b

(d) None of these

2.    Farm is a_________unit.

(a) Economic

(b) Social

(c) Decision making

(d) All of these

According to the theory of production, the entrepreneur seeks to maximise his earnings. The goal of a proft-maximizing businessperson is to maximise production for a given amount of investment, or, to put it another way, to reduce expense.

Meaning of Production

Producing items and services with a market value is referred to as production in economics. It refers to the development of utilities. These services fall under the categories of form, time, and place utilities. The establishment of such utilities boosts the economy’s total production and redistribution of commodities and services. A commodity’s utility could rise for a variety of reasons.

Form Utility

If the physical form of a commodity is changed, its utility may increase. For instance, the utility of cotton increases, if it is converted into clothes. The other examples are processing of paddy into rice, wheat into four and butter into ghee.

9.1. Production
Production means creation of value in the goods, i. e. creation of utility. Production activity helps in transforming a set of inputs into goods and services. It essentially means transforming of one set of goods into another. The output generated from production possesses greater utility than the combined inputs used in the production process. The inputs that are utilized in production of goods may be provided by the nature and/ or by other industries.
9.2. Factors of Production
These mean the production resources required to produce a given product. Fraser defined factor of production as “a group or class of original productive resources”. The factors of production have been traditionally classified as land, labour, capital and organization.
Land
According to Marshall, land means “the materials and forces which nature gives freely for man’s aid, in land and water, in air and light and heat.” In Economics the term land has a very broad meaning. It includes all free gifts of nature available to mankind viz., air, water and land. It includes all types of land surfaces such as mountains, valley, plains, forests etc. It includes all types of water resources such as rivers, oceans, etc. Thus the concept of land includes all natural resources on, above and below the earth’s surface.

Suppose you go to a Big Bazar to buy a shirt. You finalize the shirt and are shocked to see its price tag. The price mentioned on the sweatshirt is Rs. 2500. You ask the owner to give some discount. He offers a discount of 20%. Now just figure out, how much you will pay to the shopkeeper. Did you say 2000 rupees? You are bang on1 You will pay a sum after subtracting 20% of amount written on price tag i.e. Rs. 500 from Rs. 2500. You finally pay the shopkeeper 2500 – 500 = Rs. 2000. This example introduces you to the concept of marked price and discount. What you indirectly learned from this case is that the discount is calculated on the marked price only. Now let us assume here that the shopkeeper has purchased that sweatshirt for Rs.1600. How much money that shopkeeper has earned by selling this sweatshirt ? Now the shopkeeper has invested Rs. 1600 to buy this sweatshirt and finally sells for Rs. 2000. He makes a profit of Rs. 2000 – 1600 = Rs. 400

He earns this profit by putting in Rs. 1600. Thus his percentage profit is 100 x 400/1600 = 25%. This makes another concept of cost price and profit clear to you i.e. the price you put in from your pocket to buy a product is called cost price and the extra amount you get after selling the product is called the profit. The profit and loss percentage is calculated on cost price. Profit and loss problems are an integral part of all the competitive exams. You must understand the meaning of the basic terms used in profit and loss questions.

Bennett’s Hierarchy

To set the scene for this we head back to the 1970s when Claude Bennett worked as a specialist in evaluation with the extension service. He wanted to make sure that extension was collecting information that was able to illustrate the effectiveness of extension, and help extension improve its services to clients. So, he developed seven categories of criteria for evaluating extension programmes based on what he called a ‘seven link chain of events. He put these into a hierarchy literally in his article describing this-as a diagram of seven steps.

Introduction

Programme for self-employment of the poor has been an important component of the anti-poverty programmes implemented through government initiatives in the rural areas in India. The Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) is the major ongoing programme for the self-employment of rural poor at present. The programme was started with effect from 01.04.1999 after restructuring of Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP), and allied programmes namely Training of Rural Youth for Self Employment (TRYSEM), Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA), Supply of Toolkits in Rural Areas (SITRA) and Ganga Kalyan Yojna (GKY) and Million Well Scheme (MWS). Govt. of Orissa have launched ‘Mission Shakti’ programme in 2001 with an aim to have at least three lakh WSHGs by the end of 2008. By the end of March 2008, 3.73 lakh WSHGs have been formed under Mission Shakti (Annon, 2007-08). SGSY has contributed substantially in carrying forward the Mission Shakti activities in the state. A study was conducted by the Center for Management and Development, Thiruvananthapuram for concurrent evaluation of the implementation of the SGSY. It was established that the performance of SGSY in Assam, M.P., Orissa, West Bengal and Bihar was the lowest among the major states (Anon, 2002-03). SGSY is implemented in a very deterministic and top down manner, ignoring the participatory approach that is envisaged in the design. Good governance for poverty alleviation programme seems to be more of rhetoric than reality (Shylendra and Bhirdikar, 2005). The Ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India has set guidelines for successful implementation of the scheme within the framework of targets under each head. As per the guidelines, all the states are directed to fulfill the targets. After 10 years of implementation of the scheme, an evaluation of the programme in district level and state level is in dire need. Hence, it is attempted to evaluate the physical and financial achievement of the SGSY programme operated at Orissa.

An important decision that the management has to take during implementation of the process of evaluation is about which model to choose. The choice of a single model will mainly depend on the nature of the problem or the situation in an organization. However an integrative approach using more than one model may also be used. Before implementation of any of these models and before the actual process of evaluation starts it is important to make suitable preparations and create a conducive environment in the organization for successful conductance of the evaluation. The following points are to be taken
in to consideration before and at the time an evaluation is carried out in an organization:

Agricultural project is an investment activity in which financial resources are expended to create capital assets that produce benefits over an extended period of time. Projects are the building blocks of investment plan. The whole complex of activities in the undertaking that uses resources to gain benefits constitutes the agricultural project.

Project appraisal technique gives details of cost and return of the proposed business. It involves investment of huge amount of capital. There are different project appraisal technique but the most common one is investment analysis or capital budgeting. With this, we can evaluate economic feasibility of different projects.

Designing is a creative activity. Think of fashion designers or interior decorators, who design clothes or decorate homes. Think of the people who design sports cars or bikes, or the interiors of fancy hotels or corporate offices. They take simple things like fabric, or steel, or plastic and using colors create things that are attractive, useful and a pleasure to live with. Designing a project is equally creative - selecting inputs and managing them in a certain way to achieve objectives.

Components of Project Finance
1. Capital Structure Determination: Deciding on the mix of debt, equity, and other sources of financing that will be used to fund the project. The goal is to structure the capital in a way that minimizes costs, maximizes returns, and balances risk. Here’s an elaborate breakdown of the steps involved in capital structure determination:
Understanding Financing Options
• Debt Financing: Borrowing funds that must be repaid with interest. Common sources include bank loans, bonds, and credit lines. Debt financing is often preferred for its tax benefits (interest payments are tax-deductible) and lower cost compared to equity. • Equity Financing: Raising capital by selling shares of the project to investors. This does not require repayment but dilutes ownership. Equity financing is useful for sharing risk and avoiding the burden of debt repayments.
• Hybrid Instruments: Combining features of both debt and equity, such as convertible bonds or preferred shares. These can provide flexibility and attract a broader range of investors.
• Other Sources: Grants, subsidies, and public-private partnerships (PPPs) can also contribute to project financing without adding to debt or diluting equity.

Project Implementation

Project Implementation is the process of putting a project plan into action. It takes place after the planning phase; planning phase includes key objectives, timeline and budget of the project. Execution includes organizing resources and assessing performance to guarantee the project stays within its anticipated scope and budget. It also involves handling any unforeseen issues in a way that keeps a project running smoothly.

Steps for Project Implementation

1. Assess the Project Plan: Before implementing the project, it is essential to create a plan that satisfies the expectations of the management, customers, and other stakeholders. The project manager must assess the project plan and guarantee that all team members comprehend the project and its requirements. The project manager must define the roles and the time required to complete each role. This step sets the standard for cooperation at work.

2. Execute the Plan: At this stage, the real work on the project begins. The project manager regularly discusses progress with his team. It measures progress along a timeline and tracks resource usage.

3. Make required Changes: Sometimes, during the implementation of the project, the manager has to make changes at the request of the customers or in other situations. Make these changes as needed, based on the design plan for solutions. Continue to interact with the team and ask questions to determine areas where they need more support.

4. Examine Project Data: It is crucial to gather and evaluate data throughout the execution phase of the project to assess the advancement of the project in comparison to its initial plan. Now, the day manager can use many project management software and information technology to collect and analyze real time data.

5. Assess the Feedback: After the conclusion of the project, it is crucial to gather feedback regarding the project outcomes from the clients, the project team and other stakeholders. This assists in determining the number of activities in the project that were executed as intended and aspects that require enhancement moving forward.

Project management in recent years has proliferated, reaching new heights of sophistication. It has emerged as a distinct area of management practices to meet the challenges of new economic environment, globalization process, rapid technological advancement, and quality concerns of the stakeholders. Project in general refers to a new endeavour with specific objective and varies so widely that it is very difficult to precisely define it or Project is a unique process, consist of a set of coordinated and controlled activities with start and finish dates, undertaken to achieve an objective confirming to specific requirements, including the constraints of time cost and resource.

Project management involves the use of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to design activities to fulfill project requirements. In other words, project management encompasses the skills, tools and management processes needed to successfully implement a project.

Project Management comprises

• Skill. Expert knowledge, skills and experience are necessary to reduce the risk level of a project and thereby enhance the likelihood of its success.

• A set of tools. Project managers use a variety of tools to improve their chances of success. Examples include document templates, records, planning software, modeling software, inspection checklists and inspection forms.

• Sequence of processes. Various Management methods and procedures are necessary to oversee and regulate the time, cost, quality and scope of projects. For example, time management, quality management, cost management, change management, problem management and risk management.

Project Management is adequate when or when should you use project man agement techniques

Project Report

A project report is a written document associated with every investment. It includes the details upon which the project was evaluated and deemed viable. It encompasses information regarding economic, technical, financial, management, and production elements. It assists the entrepreneur in understanding the interests and aids in securing loans from banks or financial institutions.

The project report provides comprehensive details on the necessary land and buildings, yearly production capacity, production methodology, machinery and equipment along with their costs and technical specifications, raw material needs, electricity and water requirements, labor needs, market costs of the project, production, financial analyses, and the financial viability of the project.

Contents of a Project Report

1. General Information: The project report needs to incorporate details regarding the industry relevant to the project. It ought to present information about the industry’s historical background, present condition, challenges, and future outlook. It must include details about the product to be created and the rationale behind the product selection if the proposed organization is a manufacturing entity. It should indicate the demand for the product in local, national, and international markets. It should distinctly outline the business opportunities and provide explanations for initiating the business.

Promotion Mix

The main objectives of promotion mix are to seek buyer’s attention towards the product with a view to : (1) arouse consumer interest in the product (2) inform consumer about the product availability (3) inform the consumer as how is it different from others.

ABSTRACT

Agriculture is an important component of Indian economy contributing over 14% to the National GDP and employment to about 52% of the workforce. The small farm families form the backbone of Indian agriculture. The sustainability of small farms needs to be continuously supported with appropriate technologies and also with promoting off farm employment opportunities in the rural sector. The role of KVKs’ in preparing the next generation farmers’ through imparting training to update their knowledge and skills in modern agricultural technologies related to technology assessment; refinement, demonstration and training of extension personnel to orient them in the frontier areas of technology development. Sh. Narender Singh s/o Sh. Jagdish Rai, Graduate, 42 years old youth from Dharania Village came in contact with KVK, Fatehabad in 2008 and got training from this centre. He was motivated to diversify his traditional system of agriculture with integrated farming system of Dairy Farming, Vegetable, Seed production, inter cropping of Guar in cotton. He also used neem cake and bio control agents in poly houses for management of root knot nematode. He is recycling cow dung from the dairy farm and producing bio gas for domestic consumption with the diversification of farming system. The total expenditure was Rs. 5,55,645 and gross return was Rs. 13,63,100. The farmer benefit cost ratio is 2:45.