Socio-economic Analysis of Costs and Returns of Potato Var. Pokhraj in Midmapur (West) District of West Bengal, India

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the most important vegetable crops in India, and West Bengal has been the leading producer of potatoes in the country in terms of area and production. The present study examines the socio-economic aspects of potato cultivation, particularly focusing on the cost structure, returns, and economic viability of the Kufri Pokhraj variety in the Salboni block of Paschim Medinipur district during the Rabi season of 2022-23. A three-stage random sampling method was used to obtain primary information from 60 potato growers in six high-producing villages selected purposefully by personal interviews, along with secondary sources. The analysis was done using the standardized cost concepts as recommended by the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). The results revealed that the average Cost A1 (operational cost, excluding land rent) was ?141,346 per hectare, with the major components being human labor, seed, and manures/fertilizers. There was no leased-in land, and hence Cost A2 was zero. The costs rose progressively with each successive concept: B1 (?142,569), B2 (?161,104), C1 (?154,926), C2 (?173,461), and C3 (?190,807) per hectare, including the value of family labor, value of owned land, and management cost. The average productivity of Kufri Pokhraj was 339.80 quintals per hectare, which gave a gross return of ?169,900 per hectare. Net returns were highly positive for Cost A1 (?28,554/ha) and B1 (?27,331/ha), and marginally positive for B2 (?8,796/ha), while negative for C2 (??3,561/ha) and C3 (??20,907/ha). Family labour income and business income were calculated to be ?8,796 and ?28,554 per hectare, respectively. The results show that the enterprise is reasonably profitable at the farm level, but it suffers from economic stress when the opportunity cost of family labour and land resources is taken into account. The production technology is still labour-intensive, highly reliant on chemical fertilizers, and not much emphasis is given to the use of organic manures.