Supply behaviour of sesamum and groundnut in Kerala

Abstract

The present study focuses on the two principal seasonal oilseed crops of Kerala viz. sesamum and groundnut. Trends in area, production and productivity as well as the determinants of area and productivity of these two crops were analysed both at the district and state levels using time series data for the 1961-62 to 1987-88 period. Simple indices and three different functional forms viz. the linear, log-linear and the quadriatic were used to measure the trend for two sub periods viz. 1961-62 to 1974-75 and 1975-76 to 1987-88 as well as for the period as a whole. Decomposition analysis was carried out to partion out the relative contributions of area and productivity towards the changes in output. Variability was measured using the coefficient of variation.