Papers by jaysekhar Somasekharan
In the recent years there has been considerable emphasis on understanding the regional dimensions... more In the recent years there has been considerable emphasis on understanding the regional dimensions of economic growth in India within the convergence implications of neoclassical growth paradigm. The study has tested the convergence hypothesis in per capita agricultural output and foodgrains productivity across the major 15 states of India. During 1971-2007, Indian states have exhibited sigma divergence in per capita agricultural output. The study on relationship between initial foodgrain output and growth rates has shown a divergence pattern rather than convergence during 1971-1988, and we could observe a weak convergence during 1988-2007.
Sustainable Agriculture Research, 2012
In this research paper a Constant Market Share (CMS) approach was employed to learn export perfor... more In this research paper a Constant Market Share (CMS) approach was employed to learn export performance dynamics of Indian seafood (shrimps and cephalopods) in the major export destinations (EU, USA and select Asian countries), which accounts for a sizeable market for Indian seafood. The Constant Market Share model was used to disintegrate the growth in exports of seafood into market size effect, market composition effect and competitiveness effect. The analysis was performed for the seafood exports for a span of 12 years from the year 1996 to the year 2007, the period during which India had to face severe challenges from evolving food safety regulations in the EU and USA. The analysis was extended to account for the competitiveness at dis-aggregated commodity level. In the present study we observed enhanced competitiveness in the case of cephalopods while shrimp exports were less competitive. To a certain extent it shows that trade facilitating as well as trade restricting effects can coexist as an impact of strict food safety regulations.
Globelics, 2009
This study represents an attempt to estimate the effects of SPS measures in terms of trade elasti... more This study represents an attempt to estimate the effects of SPS measures in terms of trade elasticity of regulations and competitiveness of exports. In spite of the generalized acknowledgment of growing liberalization of trade between countries, there are still numerous obstacles to trade, more of the non-tariff type. This study aims to contribute to the literature on quantifying the economic impact of health and environmental regulations expressed in the form of SPS measures on international trade in agro-food products, by taking Indian seafood exports case study. The gravity analysis, complemented with the CMS model, helped to obtain an insight into the overall dynamics of the export markets, trade flows and competitiveness of fish and fishery products (aggregate level), shrimp and cephalopods. For the regulatory variable, the maximum residue limit (MRL) on cadmium in the model is used as an independent variable. Thus, it was made much insightful in understanding the relationship between trade restrictiveness of regulatory stringency and export competitiveness of the commodities. A detailed study on micro level dynamics of Kerala seafood export sector has been carried out, particularly to understand what the industry level changes are experienced during the food safety regime The results indicate that regulations on cadmium appear to be moderately trade restrictive. At the same time results are divergent at the disaggregate level, which is significant from the point of view of policy. The most important aspect of the existing chain in Kerala's seafood sector is the gradual disappearance of the independent pre processing sector which has been an important stake holder of the seafood value chain of Kerala. The pre processing node of the value chain is getting integrated to the processing sector causing a major restructuring of the existing value chain.
journal of plantation crops, 2011
Root (wilt) disease, which is debilitative in nature, is one of the major constraints affecting c... more Root (wilt) disease, which is debilitative in nature, is one of the major constraints affecting coconut productivity in Kerala. Adoption of integrated management practices especially effective utilization of inter space in the coconut garden by inclusion of various crops shall constitute an ideal approach to improve the health and productivity of coconut palms. An experiment was undertaken at the Regional Station of Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, Kayamkulam, Kerala from 2004 to 2008 to evaluate the economics of high density multispecies cropping system (HDMSCS) model with different annual and perennial crops in an existing 39 year old West Coconut Tall (Cocos nucifera) garden affected by root (wilt) disease. Various crops such as elephant foot yam, pineapple, banana, black pepper and nutmeg were raised as component crops with coconut in the HDMSCS. The overall coconut yield under the system improved by around 17 % during the fourth year of experiment when compared to the initial yield of 53 nuts/palm due to the management practices including recycling of organic biomass produced through vermicomposting and basin raising and incorporation of green manure crop. In the total cost of cultivation incurred, cost of labour was the highest, ranging from 50 to 75 % during 2007-08 and 2005-06, respectively. The net return varied from Rs.15,064 to Rs.25,687 during 2005-06 and 2006-07, respectively. In the absolute monetary terms, the contribution of inter/mixed crops in the HDMSCS varied from 30 (2005-06) to 51 % (2006-06). Analysis of coconut equivalent yield showed that the overall contribution of inter/mixed crops was about 40 %, indicating the beneficial effects of the cropping system in coconut gardens, especially in areas where root(wilt) disease is a problem causing reduction in farm family income. The economic advantage of HDMSCS over mono cropping was 61 % with a BC ratio of 1.59 indicating that the coconut based high density cropping system is economically viable in root (wilt)disease affected areas provided the disease incidence is well managed by adopting integrated practices and other production and price related risks are at normal level. Analysis of root (wilt) disease incidence from the experimental field indicated significant decrease in the disease incidence due to adoption of HDMDCS in disease affected gardens.
Journal of plantation crops, 2019
Of late, Indian coconut sector is facing unprecedented crises on account of various macro and mic... more Of late, Indian coconut sector is facing unprecedented crises on account of various macro and micro level factors. The productivity of the crop is constrained by low input use efficiency in conjunction with other biotic and abiotic stresses, which are priority areas of research. The aspect of mechanization also deserves adequate importance, considering the scarcity of skilled labour. Above all, the most important facet is value addition, which should be strengthened to mitigate the issue of low profitability of the sector. The post-World Trade Agreement (WTA) and ASEAN Treaty regime witnessed integration of plantation economies across the globe that resulted in fierce competition among producing countries. This paper addresses the pertinent issues on various facets of coconut economy by employing appropriate economic tools of analysis. The facets covered include trade aspects, global competitiveness, production economics, price analysis, policy level impediments and marketing issues. We have found that as far as the export markets of coconut value added products are concerned, India is comparatively a very small player with paltry export market shares. However, in recent times, Indian export sector has become vibrant with very high growth rate since Coconut Development Board (CDB) has been upgraded to the status of Export Promotion Council (EPC). Indian coconut sector has huge domestic demand, comparatively higher productivity, strong research support and technology delivery systems. In spite of these positive aspects, concerted efforts are lacking to effectively utilize the possible linkages between them for increasing the production and marketing efficiencies and enter the high value global chains. Sustainable coconut economy could only be achieved through integrated development of cultivation and industry coupled with a stable market.
International institute for fisheries economics and trade, 2010
This study represents an attempt to estimate the effects of SPS measures in terms of trade elasti... more This study represents an attempt to estimate the effects of SPS measures in terms of trade elasticity of regulations and competitiveness of exports. In spite of the generalized acknowledgment of growing liberalization of trade between countries, there are still numerous obstacles to trade, more of the non-tariff type. This study aims to contribute to the literature on quantifying the economic impact of health and environmental regulations expressed in the form of SPS measures on international trade in agro-food products, by taking Indian seafood exports case study. The gravity analysis, complemented with the CMS model, helped to obtain an insight into the overall dynamics of the export markets, trade flows and competitiveness of fish and fishery products (aggregate level), shrimp and cephalopods. For the regulatory variable, the maximum residue limit (MRL) on cadmium in the model is used as an independent variable. Thus, it was made much insightful in understanding the relationship between trade restrictiveness of regulatory stringency and export competitiveness of the commodities. A detailed study on micro level dynamics of Kerala seafood export sector has been carried out, particularly to understand what the industry level changes are experienced during the food safety regime The results indicate that regulations on cadmium appear to be moderately trade restrictive. At the same time results are divergent at the disaggregate level, which is significant from the point of view of policy. The most important aspect of the existing chain in Kerala seafood sector is the gradual disappearance of the independent pre processing sector which has been an important stake holder of the seafood value chain of Kerala. The pre processing node of the value chain is getting integrated to the processing sector causing a major restructuring of the existing value chain.
Agricultural Economics Research Review, 2015
Considering the theoretical aspects of Global Value Chain, this study has attempted to empiricall... more Considering the theoretical aspects of Global Value Chain, this study has attempted to empirically validate the concepts by taking up a case study of Kerala in India. While examining the evolution of value chain dynamics, the study has found that different types of coordinations have governed the seafood export chain of Kerala from 1950s onwards. The evolution of Kerala's seafood industry from mid-1950s to late-1960s provides a good example of how a captive form of coordination can evolve towards the inter-firm governance structure. From early-1970s, the value chain governance structure shifted from the captive form to more or less a modular one. The vertical disintegration and division of labour have been observed to be the striking features of the sector from 1970s onwards. Subsequently, a large number of new entrants were attracted to the business until the mid-1990s. In the recent international food safety regulatory regime, the seafood value chain has been completely transformed. Concentration and consolidation are taking place at the processing node of the chain, wherein the number of exporters has come down and professional players are upgrading their positions in the value chain. The pre-processing node of the chain is getting integrated to the processing sector, causing a major transformation of the existing value chain. The study has categorically proved that the international food policies can restructure the entire fish commodity chain of a developing country.
Agricultural Economics Research Review, 2016
This paper has attempted to capture the impact of food safety standards on seafood exports from I... more This paper has attempted to capture the impact of food safety standards on seafood exports from India. The research issues contemplated in the study are: (i) quantifying the trade effects on fishery exports from India due to the evolving stringency of international food safety standards, (ii) structural changes of export dynamics in the standards regime, and (iii) analysing the implications of standards-related compliance on participation of actors in the export value chain. A unidirectional gravity model (for the period 1998-2013) has been used, wherein, India's fishery exports to 34 countries has been modelled by taking food safety standard as the key independent variable. The structural changes in export dynamics are captured through the constant market share analysis and export market diversification analysis. To understand the forms of coordination in the seafood export value chain, snowball sampling technique has been adopted to select the key informants of the value chain. The study has revealed that the regulations are trade restrictive, and the standards regime is causing a major restructuring of the existing value chain. It is inevitable that India should elevate the national system for testing, certification and laboratory accreditation so as to be at par with the prevailing international trade regulatory safety parameters.
agricultural economics research review, 2014
The study has integrated the concept of sectoral system of innovation and value chain theory to f... more The study has integrated the concept of sectoral system of innovation and value chain theory to find the regional dynamics of an evolving commodity chain. It has captured the reflections of tender coconut sector from the comprehensive study conducted in the Kasaragod district of Kerala. The coconut innovation system in India lacks strategic collaboration among various stakeholders and therefore is characterized by an array of actors/agencies operating at various levels without channelizing their efforts for the enhancement of the sector. The characteristics of this weak sectoral system are apparently reflected in tender coconut sector. The tender coconut value chain of Kerala has been found middleman-driven, which offers only a meager value share to the producer/farmer. For upgradation of position in the chain, the producers should proactively function in a group mode and should integrate the domestic value chain. According to the study, for ensuring a bargaining position for the producer, the chain should be restructured from the middleman-driven one to producer-driven. The study has argued that the support of an effective sectoral system of innovation is inevitable for the development of the sub-sectoral commodity chains.
Agricultural economics research review, 2011
In the recent years there has been considerable emphasis on understanding the regional dimensions... more In the recent years there has been considerable emphasis on understanding the regional dimensions of economic growth in India within the convergence implications of neoclassical growth paradigm. The study has tested the convergence hypothesis in per capita agricultural output and foodgrains productivity across the major 15 states of India. During 1971-2007, Indian states have exhibited sigma divergence in per capita agricultural output. The study on relationship between initial foodgrain output and growth rates has shown a divergence pattern rather than convergence during 1971-1988, and we could observe a weak convergence during 1988-2007.
In the recent years there has been considerable emphasis on understanding the regional dimensions... more In the recent years there has been considerable emphasis on understanding the regional dimensions of economic growth in India within the convergence implications of neoclassical growth paradigm. The study has tested the convergence hypothesis in per capita agricultural output and foodgrains productivity across the major 15 states of India. During 1971-2007, Indian states have exhibited sigma divergence in per capita agricultural output. The study on relationship between initial foodgrain output and growth rates has shown a divergence pattern rather than convergence during 1971-1988, and we could observe a weak convergence during 1988-2007.
Indian coconut journal, 2016
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Papers by jaysekhar Somasekharan