Impact of Input Cost Inflation on the Profitability of Small and Marginal Farmers in Etawah District, Uttar Pradesh

This study examines the impact of input cost inflation on the profitability and income stability of small and marginal farmers in Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh. The analysis is designed in a journal-manuscript format and draws on recent district-relevant evidence from Etawah-specific farm studies, official statistical sources, wage data, fertilizer market reports, and rainfall records. The study focuses on major cost components such as seeds/planting material, fertilizers, pesticides, labour, irrigation, and machinery, and evaluates how changes in these input costs influence farm-level profitability. Evidence from Etawah shows that cultivation costs are significantly higher for marginal farmers than for small farmers on a per-hectare basis, while yield gains are modest and insufficient to offset the cost burden. In a recent Etawah garlic study, Cost C3 was reported at INR 68,797.29 per hectare for marginal farms against INR 47,292.88 for small farms, while the benefit-cost ratio was only 1.63 for marginal farms compared with 2.99 for small farms. A district-level resource-use efficiency study further indicates that manure and fertilizers, irrigation, and labour significantly affect output, but the overall production structure displays decreasing returns to scale, implying that higher input use does not proportionately raise output. The study finds that input cost inflation reduces profitability directly, weakens income stability, increases credit dependence, and heightens production risk, particularly under climatic uncertainty and imperfect market access. Policy recommendations include targeted pre-season subsidies, cooperative input procurement, custom hiring centres, low-cost seasonal credit, improved nutrient and water management, and climate-risk mitigation. The manuscript concludes that input inflation in Etawah is not merely a cost phenomenon but a structural threat to the income security of smallholders.