Does off-season cultivation pay? A comparative economic analysis of season and off-season vegetable production in Gujarat

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Published

2026-09-30

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58993/ijh/2026.83.3.19

Keywords:

Abelmoschus esculentus, Brassica oleracea, cost concept, price premium, profitability
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Issue

Vol. 83 No. 03 (2026): Indian Journal of Horticulture

Section

Research Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Vishita R. Khanna, Y.A.Lad

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Authors

  • Vishita R. Khanna International Agri-Business Management Institute, Anand Agricultural University, Anand 388110, Gujarat, India
  • Y.A.Lad International Agri-Business Management Institute, Anand Agricultural University, Anand 388110, Gujarat, India

Abstract

Off-season vegetable cultivation is widely promoted in India to raise incomes of marginal and smallholder
farmers, but the evidence rests on gross margin comparisons that leave the underlying mechanism
underexamined. This paper compares the economics of seasonal and off-season open-field cultivation of okra,
cabbage, and cauliflower, using data from 180 farmers in the Tapi and Sabarkantha districts of Gujarat during
2024-25. The cost concepts of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices method was used and the
difference in net income was tested by independent samples t-test. Off-season cultivation raised the total cost
by 11 to 18 per cent and lowered yields by 18 to 24 per cent, but generated a farm-gate price premium of 57 to 114
per cent that more than offset both penalties. Net return over Cost C2 and the benefit-cost ratio improved in the
off-season for every crop, the difference being significant at the one per cent level throughout. Decomposition
analysis showed that the entire gain came from the price effect, which exceeded the combined yield and cost
penalties by about 2.4 times in okra but only 1.4 times in cabbage. The break-even premium ranged from 33 to
38 per cent. In okra the actual price rise was far above this, so the price could fall a long way before the gain
disappeared while in cabbage it was much closer. Since the benefit depends wholly on the lean-season price,
off-season cultivation should be promoted only for crops that can command such a price.

How to Cite

Khanna, V. R., & Lad, Y. A. (2026). Does off-season cultivation pay? A comparative economic analysis of season and off-season vegetable production in Gujarat. Indian Journal of Horticulture, 83(03), 392–396. https://doi.org/10.58993/ijh/2026.83.3.19

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Author Biography

Y.A.Lad, International Agri-Business Management Institute, Anand Agricultural University, Anand 388110, Gujarat, India

He is currently Principal and Dean (I/c) of International Agribusiness Management Institute, Anand Agricultural University, Anand 

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