Volume-XII, Special Issue, April 2026 |
The Bitter Harvest: Socio-Economic Distress and Livelihood Challenges of Small-Scale Potato Growers in Hooghly District Dr. Mou Shaw, SACT, Department of Geography, Raja Rammohun Roy Mahavidyalaya, Radhanagar, West Bengal, India |
Received: 03.04.2026 | Accepted: 07.04.2026 | Published Online: 10.04.2026 | Page No: 244 - 248 | ||||
DOI: 10.29032/ijhsss.vol.12.issue.specialW.287 | |||||||
ABSTRACT | ||
The agrarian economy of West Bengal has been affected significantly due to introduction of potato farming. The farmers of Hooghly district have switched over to potato cultivation from jute and paddy in the early eighties as it provided quick returns and low water and time and field requirement. But over the years, however, due to increase in cost of production, fluctuating market price, inadequate marketing facilities and unequal market mechanisms, the net return has significantly decreased. This article is an attempt to explore the socio-economic distress and livelihood challenges faced by the small-scale potato growers in Hooghly district. Based on a field survey of 200 sample households drawn from 44 villages, the paper analyses the land ownership pattern, income from potato cultivation, adoption of modern farming practices, cost of cultivation, problems in marketing and marketing support services. The paper reveals that 70.5 per cent farmers are cultivating potato on a land area of up to 2 bighas and 85.5 per cent of farmers are earning less than Rs. 60, 000 per annum from potato farming. Cost of cultivation of potatoes has gone up significantly due to high cost incurred on seed, fertiliser, pesticide, labour, irrigation and storage, while majority of the market margin is appropriated by middlemen. Insufficient institutional credit, crop insurance and lack of equitable storage facilities add to farmer vulnerability. Although potato plays a vital role in food security and livelihood of rural population, it has become a source of livelihood uncertainty for farmers. The paper advocates for development of cooperative marketing, better credit and storage facilities, crop insurance, value addition and government intervention to control market price to provide better livelihood security to farmers. | ||
Keywords: Agrarian economy, Potato cultivation, Food security and Livelihood |