This document evaluates an alternative farm plan for a farmer with 1.5 hectares of land. Currently, the farmer grows paddy in the kharif season but leaves the land fallow in the rabi season. The summary suggests: 1. Improving practices like seed treatment, balanced fertilizer application, and correct spacing to increase paddy yields from 32 quintals/hectare to 48 quintals/hectare. 2. Partial budgeting shows the improved plan would cost Rs. 1819 more but increase returns by Rs. 12,581 per hectare, giving a benefit-cost ratio of 1. 3. The improved plan is practical for the farmer as most practices require no

1. Alternative farm plan
1. Evaluating the existing farm situation:
A) Resource position:
I) Land
• The total land holding of the farmer is 2.0 ha and cultivated
land is 1.5 ha. The land is medium land .
• Paddy is grown in kharif season and he leaves the land fallow
in Rabi season.
• Irrigation is not a constraint for the farmer.
• The soils are clay loam and sandy loam with medium fertility.
• Land is well levelled. Drainage is normal.

2. ii) Labour:
Family labour: The farmer is involved in the farming operation. The
other members of his family are also engaged in farm activities fully or
partly.
Permanently hired labour: The farmer did not have any permanently
hired labour for the farming activities. He used to hire some labourers
during peak periods of the crop growth.
Wages: Wage rates are flexible and vary according to demand specially
during peak periods like harvesting, weeding , transplanting etc. Wage
rate is Rs180 per day for man labourer and Rs150 per day for women
labourer.
Peak periods: Peak periods in cultivation of paddy are transplanting,
weeding and harvesting.

3. iii) Availability of draught animals: The farmer did not have
any draught animal in his farm.
iv) Capital: Capital required for cultivation of crops is
managed from the net income of the previous season crop.
v) Farm building: There is a storage building, Bhoral, for
storage of grains.
vi) Equipment & Machinery: The farmer had 1 sprayer, 3
sickles, 3 hoes, 2 rake.

4. B) Appraisal of the alternatives or opportunities:
I) Crops grown: The holding of the farmer is 2.0 ha.
Paddy (Ranjit) is grown in the 1.5 ha area only in Kharif
season.
ii) Resource requirement: The quantity required of different
inputs or resources for production of a particular crop
activity in different crop season and their associated cost are
estimated.

5. Sl No Operation Qty Rate Amount Labour Wages Total
M W M W
1 Land Preparation
Ploughing by tractor 2 times 2625 5250 5250
Hoeing, bund making 3 180 540
2 Seed bed preparation 5 180 900
3 FYM 4 t 100 400 3 180 940
4 Seed 45 kg 20 900 2 180 1260
5 Weeding 6 150 900
6 Fertilizer Urea (kg) 55 8 440 2 150 1910
DAP (kg) 45 22 990
MOP (kg) 15 12 180
8 Transplanting 15 150 2250
9 Harvesting 15 150 2250
10 Plant protection
11 Land revenue 55
12 Threshing 10 180 1800
Drying 5 150 750
Winnowing 5 150 750
14 Depreciation
(BHORALAND SPRAYER)
796
Grand total 20351
15 Production (qtl) 32.5 950 30875 30875
16 Net return 10524
17 Net return from 1.5 ha 15786
Table 1: Cost of cultivation (Rs/ha) of Kharif paddy (Traditional)

6. Fixed cost
1) Bhoral =Rs18,000
2) SPRAYER = Rs1900
TOTAL =19,900
DEPRECIATION @8% FOR 6 MONTH =19,900*.08*6 =Rs796
12
LAND REVENUE =Rs55/ha
for 1.5 ha of land =Rs82.50
TOTAL FIXED COST =796+82.50 =Rs878.50

7. TOTAL COST=FIXED COST+VARIABLE COST
=Rs 878.50+Rs 27,900 =Rs 28778.50
NET RETURN=GROSS RETURN –TOTAL COST
=Rs 46312.50 – Rs 28778.50=Rs 17,534
B : C ratio = 0.6

8. Risks in the farm production:
The farmer is not faced with any major risk situation. However, there is
risk of crop damage by insect pest and plant diseases which can be
reduced by taking appropriate control measures. Sometime there is risk
associated with weather .
Weak points in the existing plan:
The package of practices followed in the existing plan has been thoroughly
analyzed to focus the weakness of the existing plan and remedies for them.
a) No seed treatment is practiced for paddy seed. Seed treatment
with Bavistin 0.1% or Captan or Thiram 0.3% helps in reducing
pest problem.
b) The farmer did not follow the recommended fertilizer dose.
c) Recommended spacing is not used
d) Weather uncertainity

9. Kharif
For paddy (Kharif), the suggestions given for improving the package of
practices are as follows:
1. The Farmer should change the crop sequence
2. Seed treatment should be followed @ 3gm of Captan or 1 gm of Bavistin
per kg of seed to reduce the pest and disease incidence and increase the
germination percentage.
3. Balanced fertilizer of N, P and K at recommended dose should be applied.
4. The nitrogen fertilizer should be applied in three splits. The entire P and K
and one third of N should be applied as basal application. Second and third
split of N should be applied at tillering and panicle initiation stage
respectively.
5. Correct spacing should be followed at the time of transplanting.

10. VARIABLE COST
S.NO ITEMS AMOUNT(In Rs.)
1 TRACT0R CHARGE 5250
2 HOEING 540
3 SEED BED PREPARATIOM 900
4 FYM 940
5 SEED 1260
6 FERTILISER 1910
7 TRANSPLANTING 2250
8 HARVESTING 2250
9 THRESHING 1800
10 DRYING 750
11 WINNOWING 750
TOTAL=Rs 18,600

11. Sl No Operation Qty Rate Amount Labour Wages Total
M W M W
1 Land Preparation
Ploughing by tractor 2 times 2625 5250 5250
Hoeing, bund making 3 180 540
2 Seed bed preparation 5 180 900
3 FYM 1 ton 100 100 3 180 1000
4 Seed (kg) 45 26 1170 2 180 1530
5 Fertilizer Urea (kg) 87 7 609
SSP (kg) 125 8 1000
MOP (kg) 33 10 330 2 180 2299
6 Transplanting 15 150 2250
7 Harvesting 15 150 2250
8 Plant protection
Monocrotophos (ml) 100 300 300
Endosufan(ml) 150 500 500 2 180 1160
9 Land revenue 55
11
12
Seed treatment
Bavistin (gm)
45 300/
50 g
270 1 180 400
Threshing 10 180 1800
Drying 5 150 750
Winnowing 5 150 750
13 Depreciation 796
14 Grand total 21,730
15 Production (qtl) 48 900 37800 43,200
16 Net return 21,470
17 Net return from 1.5 ha 32,205
Alternate cost of cultivation for Sali paddy( Ranjit)

12. S.NO. ITEMS AMOUNT
1 TRACTR CHARGE 5250
2 HOEING 540
3 SEED BED PREPARATIOM 900
4 FYM 1000
5 SEED 1530
6 FERT 2299
7 TRANSPLANTING 2250
8 HARVESTING 2250
9 THRESHING 1800
10 DRYING 750
11
12
WINNOWING
PLANT PROTECTION
750
1160
VARIABLE COST
TOTAL VARIABLE COST=Rs 20,479

13. TOTAL COST = FIXED COST+VARIABLE COST
=Rs 878.50 + Rs 30718.50 = Rs 31,579
NET RETURN = GROSS RETURN –TOTAL COST
= Rs 64,800 – Rs 31,579 = Rs 33,221
B:C RATIO = 1.0

14. Particulars Qty Amount (Rs)
a) Added cost(for HYV)
i)cost of seed 270
ii) FYM(ton) NIL
iii) Fertilizer(kg) 389
iv) plant protection including seed treatment 1160
Total 1819
b) Reduced cost ( For local)
I)Fertilizer nil
c) Added return(HYV yield) 16q 14400
d) Reduced returns( for local) nil
e) Profitability of the plan
(Added returns + Reduced cost) – (Reduced returns + Added cost)
14400-1819=
12,581
f) B:C ratio 1.0
ii) Analysis of Improved/ Alternative farm plan: Partial budgeting technique has been
used to check the profitability of improved farm plan for Kharif paddy.
iii) Practicability of the improved/ Alternative farm plan: The cost of cultivation of paddy during Kharif
season has increased from 32q/ha to 48q/ha. For this additional cost incurred the additional benefit of
Rs 12,581/ha can be received.
There is no such practice which cannot be adopted by the farmer. Most of the suggested package of
practices involves no capital except a few like additional fertilizers, pesticides and seed treatment. So
there is no problem regarding capital requirement. Since he is a Marginal farmer, he can meet the
additional cost from the same resources.

15. THANK YOU