Dynamics of Growth and Instability in Vegetable Cultivation in Himachal Pradesh

Given the significance of vegetables, particularly in off-seasons, to the economy of Himachal Pradesh, a study was conducted to analyze the growth rates and variability in the area, production and productivity from 2005-06 to 2019-20. The results revealed that green peas, tomato, garlic, cauliflower and cabbage emerged as the essential vegetable crops, accounting for 66.47 and 69.57 per cent of the area and vegetable production during 2019-20 in the state. The findings also exhibited that annual growth in the area (3.68 per cent) and production (4.95 per cent) of vegetables were significantly higher than productivity (1.23 per cent) over the study period. However, the variability in the area, production and productivity of all vegetables was relatively low and stable at less than 3 per cent. Since the growth rate in productivity was relatively lower than the area and production, the study invites the attention of planners, policy makers and research and extension agencies to focus on enhancing the average yields of both vegetables and their growth, which are pretty low in comparison to some states of India and the developed countries.