Castor Farming Structure in India
In India, there are both independent farmers and contract farmers, but the significant majority comprises independent farmers. There are thousands of small, independent castor crop farmers in India, ownership ranging from just a couple of hectares to hundreds of hectares.
Constraints Faced by Indian Castor Farmers
The constraints reported by farmers include
- Poor monetisation of their crop
- Harvesting problems
- Occurrence of pests and diseases
Castor Contract Farming in India
Even in contract farming, it has been seen that contract periods are not long duration, typically a couple of years. However, some recent efforts are made by corporates to do contract farming in Gujarat, AP and Odisha.
It is observed that the cultivation of castor under contract farming is a profitable proposition under dry land condition, and estimates suggest that the returns are more remunerative than in the case of independent farming.