NEW DELHI: About 40 per cent of the 51,770 farmer households surveyed by the National Sample Survey Organisation said they would quit farming, given a choice. About 27 per cent said they did not like farming because it was not profitable. Eight per cent said it was a "risky proposition."

The survey was conducted at the behest of the Agriculture Ministry between January and December 2003 for the agriculture year 2002-03. The sample covered farmer households spread over 6,638 villages.

Almost 60 per cent of the households reported they liked farming as a profession. About 29 per cent had a member of a cooperative society; five per cent a member of a self-help group and two per cent had a member of a registered farmers' organisation. Only 19 per cent of the households had availed themselves of services from the cooperative sector. Most of them availed either credit facilities or services related to seeds or fertilizers.

The NSSO survey report titled "Some Aspects of Farming'' based on the Situation Assessment Survey of Farmers said 57 per cent farmers did not know their crops could be insured. Only 4 per cent of farmer households had ever insured their crops. About 18 per cent households knew about bio-fertilizers. Nearly 29 per cent understood what minimum support price (MSP) meant. Only a meagre eight per cent farmer households had heard of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

About 47 per cent of farmer households using non-human energy for ploughing their land used diesel tractors while 52 per cent relied on animal power. Nearly 66 per cent of households used diesel pumps and 33 per cent used electric pumps for irrigation.

Fertilizers were used by 76 per cent of farmer households during the kharif and 54 per cent during the rabi season. Organic manure was used by 56 per cent farmers during kharif and 38 per cent during rabi. Improved seeds were used by 46 per cent households during kharif and 34 per cent during rabi. Pesticides were used by 46 per cent households during kharif and 31per cent during rabi. Veterinary services were used by 30 per cent households during kharif and 22 per cent during rabi.

The survey showed that the gross irrigated area was 42 per cent of cropped area during kharif and 56 per cent during rabi. Tubewell was the major source of irrigation.

About 50 per cent of all irrigated land during the kharif season and 60 per cent during the rabi season was irrigated by tubewells.

This was the third report in the series of five, released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

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