The paper investigates the nature and trends of crop diversification (CD) across the states of India’s northeastern region (NER), and examines the factors influencing it.
Using secondary data, Simpson diversity index, compound annual growth rate (CAGR), correlations, and trendlines are calculated to examine the nature and trends of CD. Further, the study employs a Panel Autoregressive Distributed Lag (P-ARDL) model to identify the determinants of CD in NER.
In the region, CD is increasingly oriented towards high-value crops, especially fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, the study found that rainfall (−10.63), irrigation (−7.69), credit availability (3.29), and road infrastructure (3.19) significantly impact CD.
Because this study is based on secondary data, any additional research using state-level primary data may be more valuable.
Existing studies on CD in NER have mostly focused on specific states. Further, the impact of rainfall, irrigation, and fertiliser on CD in the context of NER has been rarely studied.
