Socio-Economic Profile and Economic Analysis of Paddy Cultivation: Evidence from Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

Paddy cultivation is a vital component of agriculture in Tamil Nadu, contributing significantly to food security, rural employment and farm income. Despite its importance, the sector continues to face challenges such as rising input costs, labour shortages, fragmented landholdings and fluctuating market prices, all of which affect farm profitability and long-term sustainability. The present study examines the socio-economic profile of paddy farmers and analyses the economics of paddy cultivation in Thiruverumbur Block of Tiruchirappalli District, Tamil Nadu. The analysis is based on primary data collected from 150 paddy farmers selected through simple random sampling. Descriptive statistical techniques, including frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation, were used to analyse the data, while a One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was employed to examine the influence of operational landholding on paddy yield. The results show that paddy cultivation is predominantly carried out by male farmers (81.3%), with 57.3% of respondents above 50 years of age and 81.4% operating landholdings of less than five acres. Most farmers incurred cultivation costs ranging from ₹20,000 to ₹21,999 per acre, achieved yields between 1,401 and 1,800 kg per acre and realised output values of ₹25,001 to ₹35,000 per acre. The ANOVA results indicate that operational landholding size had no statistically significant effect on paddy yield (F = 0.800; p = 0.496), suggesting that differences in farm size alone do not account for variations in paddy productivity among the respondents. The study provides recent empirical evidence on the socio-economic characteristics and economics of paddy cultivation in Thiruverumbur Block and contributes to a better understanding of the prevailing conditions of paddy farming in Tamil Nadu.