Economic analysis of marigold production in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra

Introduction

Floriculture has emerged as an important and rapidly growing component of horticulture, contributing to agricultural diversification, employment generation and farm income. Flowers are widely used for religious ceremonies, festivals, marriages, decoration and other social functions, resulting in increasing demand for commercial flower crops. Among the various flower crops cultivated in India, marigold (Tagetes spp.) occupies an important position because of its wide adaptability, ease of cultivation, relatively short crop duration and continuous market demand. Marigold is predominantly cultivated as a loose flower crop and has considerable economic importance in India. Its attractive colour, multiple uses and regular demand make it a preferred commercial flower crop among farmers. The flowers are extensively used for garland making, religious offerings, decoration and various social functions. The crop also has industrial importance due to the presence of carotenoid pigments such as lutein. These characteristics have contributed to the increasing adoption of marigold cultivation in different parts of the country. Maharashtra is one of the important flower-producing states in India, where marigold is cultivated under diverse agro-climatic conditions. The crop has gained importance among farmers because of its potential to generate comparatively quick and remunerative returns. Kolhapur district has favourable conditions for commercial marigold cultivation, including suitable agro-climatic conditions, availability of irrigation facilities and proximity to important consumption and marketing centres. Hatkanangale and Shirol talukas have emerged as important areas of marigold cultivation in the district. The profitability of marigold cultivation largely depends on the efficient utilization of production resources and the relationship between the cost of cultivation and returns obtained. Increasing expenditure on seedlings, labour, fertilizers, plant protection, irrigation and other inputs can significantly influence the total cost of production. Similarly, variations in yield and farm-level flower prices directly affect gross returns and profitability. Therefore, systematic estimation of the cost structure and returns is essential for evaluating the economic viability of marigold production. Despite the increasing importance of marigold as a commercial flower crop, location-specific information on its production economics is essential for identifying major cost components and assessing the profitability of cultivation. Such information can assist farmers in making rational production decisions and help extension agencies and policymakers in formulating appropriate strategies for improving farm income. Hence, the present study entitled "Economic Analysis of Marigold Production in Kolhapur District of Maharashtra" was undertaken to estimate the cost of cultivation, returns and profitability of marigold production in the study area.

2.Methodology

Selection of the study area

The present study was conducted in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra, which was purposively selected due to the increasing importance of commercial marigold cultivation in the district. Among the different tahsils, Hatkanangale and Shirol were purposively selected based on the concentration of marigold cultivation, availability of irrigation facilities and accessibility to markets. From each selected tahsil, three villages having relatively higher area under marigold cultivation were selected purposively. Thus, six villages, namely Rukadi, Male and Herale from Hatkanangale tahsil and Danoli, Kothali and Kavthesar from Shirol tahsil, were selected for the study.

Sampling design

A multistage sampling procedure was adopted for the selection of respondents. In the first stage, Kolhapur district was selected purposively, followed by the purposive selection of Hatkanangale and Shirol tahsils. In the third stage, three villages from each selected tahsil were selected purposively. Finally, 15 marigold growers from each village were selected by simple random sampling, resulting in a total sample of 90 marigold growers. For analytical purposes, the selected growers were classified into three farm-size groups based on the area under marigold cultivation: The data collected from the sample farmers were analysed to estimate the cost of cultivation and production of marigold. The standard cost concepts, namely Cost A, Cost B and Cost C, were used along with simple statistical measures such as averages and percentages.

Cost A: Includes expenses on human labour and machinery labour, seedlings, manures and fertilizers, plant protection, irrigation, depreciation, land revenue, interest on working capital, and other incidental charges.

Cost B:

Includes Cost A plus the imputed rental value of owned land and interest on fixed capital.

Cost C: Includes Cost B plus the imputed value of family labour and represents the total cost of cultivation.

Results and discussion

5.2.3

Per hectare costs and returns from marigold

The per hectare costs and returns from marigold cultivation under different farm-size groups are presented in Table 5 Among the different cost components, seedlings, hired female labour, plant protection chemicals, micronutrients and machine power constituted important shares of the total cost, while rental value of owned land was the major fixed cost component. Farm-size-wise analysis showed that small farmers achieved comparatively higher productivity and gross returns than medium and large farmers, indicating better utilization and management of available resources. The resource-use efficiency analysis revealed scope for increasing the use of inputs such as seedlings, manures, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, weedicide and plant protection measures, whereas human labour, machine power, micronutrients and irrigation showed relatively higher utilization. Thus, optimum allocation and efficient utilization of production resources are essential for reducing production costs and enhancing profitability.

The study further indicated that direct marketing provided better price realization to growers by reducing the involvement of intermediaries. However, price fluctuations, perishability of flowers, high input and transportation costs, labour shortages and inadequate storage and market facilities remained important constraints.

Overall, the study concluded that marigold production has substantial potential for improving farm income in Kolhapur district. Greater emphasis on quality planting material, balanced input use, efficient resource management, improved post-harvest handling and promotion of direct marketing can further enhance the profitability and sustainability of marigold cultivation.

Suggestions

Quality seedlings at reasonable prices should be made available to marigold growers to reduce the high cost of planting material and improve crop productivity.

Farmers should adopt optimum and balanced use of fertilizers, manures, plant protection inputs and other resources to improve resource-use efficiency and reduce the cost of cultivation.

The adoption of labour-saving technologies, farm mechanization and scientific crop management practices should be encouraged to reduce production costs and ensure timely farm operations.

Technical guidance and training should be provided to farmers on efficient input management, scientific production practices and costreduction measures to enhance the profitability and economic sustainability of marigold cultivation.

References

1. Biswas D, Sarkar R. Rise of marigold floriculture, a new stirring door walk through economic, social, and entertainment factors in Eastern India: A combined approach of multi-group structural equation modeling and cluster analyses. Quality & Quantity. 2023;57(1):137-172.
2. Gupta R, Sharma PK, Kumar A, Choudhary P, Abrol P. Appraisal of cost-effective return from marigold flower grower in Jammu District, India. International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences. 2018;7(8):4586-4591.
3. Hiremath D, Rudrapur S, Dubey LR. Production and marketing of marigold in Bharuch District of South Gujarat: An economic analysis. Journal of Agriculture Research and Technology. 2020;45(1):55-60.
4. Kaur M, Bhat A, Sadik-Zada ER, Sharma R. Productivity analysis and employment effects of marigold cultivation in Jammu, India. Horticulturae. 2022;8:263.
5. Kumar M, Malik DP. Cost-return analysis and resource use efficiency of marigold cultivation in Karnal district of Haryana. Journal of Community Mobilization and Sustainable Development. 2024;19(2):439-444.
6. Malik M, Kumar T, Jawla SK, Sahrawat A. Economic analysis of marigold production under different applications of organic manures. Journal of Pharmaceutical Innovation. 2021;10:155-157.
7. Raut Y. An economic analysis of production and its constraints of marigold flower in Madhya Pradesh. Journal of Community Mobilization and Sustainable Development. 2021;16(3):987-990.
8. Sai YK, Banafar KNS, Sahu T, Chandravanshi V. Economic analysis of marigold in Surajpur district of Chhattisgarh. Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry. 2018;7(2):2018-2020.
9. Singh AK, Singh MK, Singh RR. The economics of marigold flowers in Eastern Uttar Pradesh. The Journal of Rural and Agricultural Research. 2013;13(2):75-78.
10. Tigga NS, Kumar S, Rai AK. Estimating marigold cultivation costs and returns per hectare in Raipur district, Chhattisgarh, India. International Journal of Plant & Soil Science. 2023;35(18):1280-1285.
11. How to cite this article: Jangam AS, Shinde VA, Satpute SV, Kamble BH, Jangam TS. Economic analysis of marigold production in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra. International Journal of Agriculture and Food Science. 2026;8(9):506-510. doi: https://w ww.doi.org/10.33545/2664844X.2026.v8.i9g.1910