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The main raw material for manufacture of paper is wood pulp which are mainly obtained from the pulpwood trees like Casuarina, Eucalyptus and Meliadubia. In Tamil Nadu, the cultivation of these pulpwood trees was promoted by two leading paper manufacturing industries viz., Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Paper Limited (TNPL) and Seshasayee Paper and Boards Limited (SPB).This study aims at estimating the cost, returns and financial feasibility of major pulpwood tree species cultivated in Tamil Nadu. The study found that the cost of cultivation of casuarina, eucalyptus and Meliadubia were Rs.1,76,939, Rs.1,60,593 and Rs.1,52,672 and the net income obtained from these trees were Rs.1,58,473, Rs.1,37,028 and Rs.1,33,831 respectively. Among these trees, Casuarina is more profitable and the results of the study concluded that the cultivation of these three major pulpwood trees are profitable and financially viable.

Cotton is a high commercial profile crop serving as a lifebelt crop for millions. It is a predominant crop under cultivation in a large spectrum since the ancient period. Globally it is a significant income earning crop hence aptly termed as White Gold. India is a leading cotton producer, exporter, and consumer in the world. It has surpassed China’s cotton production in 2021 and stands first in world cotton production. But India’s cotton productivity is 466 kg/ha very low than the global average cotton productivity; ranking 42nd in world productivity. Cotton is cultivated in an area of 12.35 million hectares with a production of 5.79 million metric tonnes. The present study aims in estimating the growth rate and the factors influencing cotton acreage and production in India for the last four decades of 1981-82 to 2020-21. The compound growth rate was examined using exponential growth function and instability by Cuddy Della Valle instability index in three different periods i.e Period I 1981-82 to 2001-02 (Pre introduction of Bt), Period II 2002-02 to 2020-21(Post introduction of Bt) and Overall period (1981-82 to 2020-21).The data used in current study is secondary in nature and collected from sources namely Directorate of Economics and statistics, India stat and from FAO. The acreage and supply response was estimated using the Nerlovian double-lagged adjustment model. The findings revealed that a higher growth rate and instability have been witnessed after the introduction of Bt technology in India which symbolizes the magnanimous role of Bt technology in the Indian cotton sector. The responsiveness of cotton area towards the lag cotton area, cotton MSP, rainfall and lagged export price stands significant whereas cotton supply response is highly triggered by lagged cotton production, rainfall and Bt technology.

Dairy farming is the subsidiary occupation for millions of farmers in India. Due to risks and uncertainties in rainfed areas, crop production alone was not much remunerative. Diversifying dairy with the crop and allied activities would generate better income, nutritional security, and regular employment to the farming community and ensure risk reduction. This study investigates the extent and determinants of income diversification among dairy farm households in Tamil Nadu using the Simpson Index of Diversity (SID) and the Tobit regression model. Primary data were collected from dairy farm households during the year 2021-22. The results show that two-thirds of the total household income was shared by on-farm income and the remaining one-third by off-farm and non-farm activities to the total household income. Simpson Index of Diversity (0.38) indicated that the households were diversified with milch animals, but the degree of the diversification was low since high degree of diversification requires more labour and high cost. Further, education, family size, landholding size, herd size, proximity to agricultural or allied industry, access to credit, and membership in farmer producer organizations were the important determinants of income diversification. This study indicates that farm households should adopt a concentric approach that requires targeted research, information dissemination, infrastructure development, and agricultural technical institution establishments to boost income diversification and livelihood.