Prospects and Appraisal of Rural Women Entrepreneurial Activities in Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh
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Date
2007
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MPUAT, Udaipur
Abstract
The study was conducted with an objective to collect comprehensive data about women run entrepreneurial activities, reasons thereof, strategies followed, extent of income generation and its utilization, SWOT analysis of enterprises, to identify new entrepreneurial trades for rural women and suggest guidelines for initiating the enterprises.
The study was conducted in 37 villages of five purposively selected panchayat samities of Kangra district, exhibiting maximum and varied number of entrepreneurial activities. The study included two type of samples. One consisted of 180 women entrepreneurs selected proportionately by using random sampling technique. Another sample consisted of 30 officials from government, non government organizations and State Agricultural University. The data from women entrepreneurs was collected using interview technique and that from officials through questionnaire method. Frequency, percentage, mean weighted scores and mean per cent score were used for analyzing the data. For assessing the extent of income generation- net profit, benefit-cost ratio, break- sale price and Entrepreneurial Economic Success Index was calculated.
The results of the study indicated that majority of the respondents were between 31-45 years of age, married, belonged to upper caste and had nuclear family. Their main occupation was agriculture. A majority were the member of formal organization and exhibited medium socio- personal and psychological entrepreneurial traits.
A majority of the respondents (63.3%) were engaged in agro- based entrepreneurial activities viz. sericulture, mushroom cultivation, dairy, vegetable cultivation and food processing and preservation. Rest (36.7%) were engaged in craft related activities i.e. tailoring, embroidery, weaving, knitting and manufacturing of bamboo articles.
Nearly forty per cent respondents (45.6%) were engaged in the activities from 2001- 2003 and spending 4-6 hrs/ day. They had ventured in these activities as these were easy to carryout, compatible to their background, easily manageable at household level, possessed required facilities, had low investment, etc. A majority of them (86.1 and 76.7%) had entered in the entrepreneurial world to support family and to become independent. They were carrying out the activities mainly individually (73.4%), followed by mixed ownership (18.3%) and in group/ cooperative form (8.3%).
Regarding strategies followed, findings revealed that in general 5-6 steps were being followed by respondents for enterprise establishment. These were realization of opportunity, obtaining training, consolidation of resources (infrastructure, machinery/ equipments, raw material and finance), production on small scale, marketing and then expanding the unit.
Localite sources were mainly used for realizing oppourtunity. Raw materials were procured from local market as well as from other city/ town/ village. Traditional equipments/ fixtures/machines were being used for carrying out the enterprises (91.6%). A majority of the respondents (66.6%) were using their own capital. The banks were found to be contacted least by women as their enterprise did not require heavy investments. All the respondents had started their venture on small scale and after few years (2-6) they had expanded their units. Training was obtained by nearly 70 per cent of the respondents. Marketing of produce was done directly to customers by majority of the women (67.7%), followed by shopkeepers, middlemen and through vendors/ group members too.
About extent of income generation, findings indicated that all the enterprises were profitable as the net profit earned ranged from Rs. 4600- 38550/ year. Dairy and tailoring were the most profitable ventures. Dairy entrepreneurs had net profit of Rs. 28767. Tailoring respondents had reported net profit of Rs. 38550/ year in case of individual owners and Rs. 24000/ year in case of group owners. Looking to the short span of carrying out the activities and low investment, sericulture and mushroom cultivation were also found profitable. The calculated benefit- cost ratio and break sale price of these enterprises further confirmed that these activities were economically viable and profitable, except vegetable cultivation in which the profit margin was slightly less. Majority of the respondents (65%) exhibited successful Entrepreneurial Economic Success Index. Marked improvements had been reported by all the respondents in their socio- personal and family standards.
The SWOT analysis of different enterprises revealed that low investments, compatibility to the background, feminine nature of the activities, high return over were the major strengths in almost all the enterprises. The major weaknesses reported were weak selling effort, low product life, high labour and time demanding nature of the activities. Almost all the respondents mentioned about high demand and favourable government policies as the major opportunities and high competition in the market and danger to the sustainability of their units were the major threats.
Regarding the potentialities of new enterprises it was found that looking to the geographical conditions of Kangra district and abundance of citrus fruits, there is an immense potential for establishing preservation units. Promotion of organic vegetable cultivation can also be an important enterprise. Since the district has an immense reservoir of medicinal plants and forest trees, these can be explored and linked with entrepreneurial activities. Resin industry can also be another promisable venture.
On the basis of present study, it is apparent that the rural women generally take up agro- based activities which require low investment, have local and regular flow of the commodity in the market. Hence, efforts should be made to make women aware of the enterprises exhibiting above criteria alongwith getting maximum return throughout the year. It is also better that women should venture the enterprises partially individually and partially in group forms in order to avoid group conflicts. This means that production can be carried out individually while searching idea, consolidation of resources, obtaining training and marketing can be carried in group.
Description
Prospects and Appraisal of Rural Women Entrepreneurial Activities in Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh
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Citation
Sharma and Singhal, 2007