Economics of finger millet cultivation in hills of Kumaon region of Uttarakhand

India leads the world in production of millets. In 2011, India produced 12,710,000 tonnes of millets, becoming the highest producer around the globe. While wheat and rice might provide only food security, millets producemultiple securities (food, fodder, health, nutrition, livelihood and ecological) making them the crops of agricultural security. In Uttarakhand traditional crops like, finger millet, barnyard millet, black soybean, horse gram etc. are cultivated in a widerange of soils and under diverse climatic conditions. The production of these crops in state during 2010–11 was around 821076 mt, out of which finger millet accounted for 170484 mt. The area under this crop has not amplified much in the recent years. The fact that this crop has with stand the competition from major cereals in past 40 years and still maintains substantial area is a testimony to their resilience and special adaptation. The study was based on a sample survey of 60 farmers randomly selected from mid hills and high hills of two blocks of Almora district of Kumaon division of Uttarakhand with aim to examine the profitability of fingermillet crop. The study showed that finger millet crop was found to be subsistence crops on both the altitudes of hills. It was observed that percentage share of area under finger millet crops in gross cropped area was 13.68% which was highest among all the traditional crops in the study area. The per ha cost of cultivation of finger millet was about 13165. The crop was profitable if only paid out cost (i.e. cost A1) was taken into account. This crop was grown due to its wider adaptability to harsh climate of the study area but there is a need to strengthen extension programmes to promote this crop. The area has vast potential to grow this crop on commercial basis but there is need to tap this potential to benefit the growers. There is need to provide efficient infrastructure support so as to maximize the returns of the growers.