Comparative Economic Analysis Of Maize Grain And Seed Production In Hetauda Sub- Metropolitan City, Makwanpur

Maize is considered as second most important cereal crops in Nepal. In the hills of Nepal, such as Makwanpur, it dominates all other crop cultivation. Hence, a study was conducted for comparative assessment of socio-economic condition and to identify major problems of maize grain and seed production in Makwanpur. The data were obtained through the survey of 66 producers, 33 each of maize grain and seed producers, in March 2022. The data was then coded and imported into MS Excel, where it was analyzed using Excel and SPSS software. Benefit-cost ratio, Cobb-Douglas production function, mean t-test, and other descriptive statistics were calculated and compared between maize grain and seed producers. Socio-demographic characteristics of both the grain and seed producers were similar with exceptions in education, religion, etc. The inputs (FYM and labor) contributed 65% and 67% of the total cost incurred for grain and seed production respectively. The cost and return from seed production was higher than that of grain production. The B.C. ratio for grain and seed producers was 1.026 and 1.144 respectively. Nonetheless, seed producers sold only 34% of total output as seed, with the remaining portion being used as grain, however, marketing all of the potential seeds will result in higher benefits. Diseases and pest problems were ranked as most severe problem hindering efficient maize production in the study area.