RESOURCE USE EFFICIENCY AND PROFITABILITY OF CUCUMBER CULTIVATION IN PROTECTED FIELD: A CASE OF KAITHAL, HARYANA.

Abstract

This study focuses on the economic analysis of cucumber cultivation under protected conditions in Haryana, a state once at the forefront of the Green Revolution. Today, Haryana faces serious challenges such as low farm returns, over-extraction of groundwater, climate variability, and rising input costs. Protected cultivation, especially of high-value crops like cucumber, offers a potential solution to these problems by improving water-use efficiency, reducing climatic risks, and increasing profitability.

The paper evaluates the viability and efficiency of cucumber farming in a one-acre protected field. Using farm-level data, we assess input use, gross revenue, and profitability. A Cobb-Douglas production function was used to estimate the contribution of each input, and Marginal Value Product (MVP) analysis was applied to measure resource use efficiency. The results show that irrigation cost is underutilized with an MVP/MFC ratio of 1.20, indicating a potential to increase yield by raising water use. In contrast, inputs like hired labour (MVP/MFC = 0.02), fertilizers (MVP/MFC = 0.12), and fixed costs (MVP/MFC = 0.01) were found to be highly overutilized, suggesting a need to reduce their usage for cost-effective production.

These findings highlight the importance of optimizing input use to improve profitability. The study concludes that cucumber cultivation under protected structures is economically viable when resource use is carefully managed. Policies promoting training, input management, and cost-effective technologies can help farmers transition to more sustainable and profitable production systems in Haryana.