Abstract

Groundnut occupies a pre-eminent position in Tamil Nadu which ranks first in yield per acre and second in production and fourth in acreage among the sister States in India, which itself occupies the premier position in world acreage and production. Tamil Nadu accounts for an annual production of 10.56 lakh tons from an area of 22 lakh acres. A large number of projects is ushered in for boosting groundnut production and among them the one on Export Promotion assumes significance. In such schemes, a certain lacuna does prevail for want of sufficient data for a planned programme resulting in poor returns on investment. Fortunately however, as far as groundnut is concerned, authentic data have been preserved and they are helpful in proposing a proper approach towards success in the task. It is common knowledge that a two-pronged approach is by far safe and proper in maximising production and they are 'extensive' and 'intensive' cultivation. An attempt is made in this paper in proposing criteria for the two basic methods for boosting groundnut production in Tamil Nadu.

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