Estimation of area and production of horticultural crops in Himachal Pradesh State

Abstract

Horticulture sector, a significant sector of agriculture, has emerged as an important component of the Indian economy contributing more than one-fourth share in the economy of agriculture and allied sectors. Fruits and vegetables account for nearly 90% of the total horticulture production in the country. Availability of reliable statistics about area and production of these crops at various levels has been one of the basic requirements of proper planning for increasing the production of these crops in the country. The estimates of area and production of important fruits and vegetables were obtained under the scheme “Crop Estimation Survey on Fruits and Vegetables (CES - F&V)” only for eleven states. An alternative sampling methodology for estimation of area and production of different horticultural crops was developed by Ahmad et al. (2011). In this paper, an attempt was made to estimate the area, production and productivity of important fruits and vegetables for Himachal Pradesh State using the alternative sampling methodology. Optimum sample size was also determined for obtaining reliable estimates of production of fruits and vegetables