Mungbean in Tamil Nadu was grown as a relay crop, either by
broadcasting seeds in a standing paddy rice crop 5-10 days before
harvest, or by broadcasting the seed just before the harvest of
paddy with combine harvesters. Virtually all production was for the
households' subsistence needs; there was little marketable surplus.
Being a subsistence crop, Tamil Nadu farmers used few inputs for
crop protection and only small quantities of fertilizer. Yields were
therefore relatively low. In contrast, mungbean is a commercial
crop in Vietnam and respondents estimated average yields were
nearly four times greater in Vietnam than in Tamil Nadu.