TRAINING NEEDS OF COTTON GROWERS OF MADURAI DISTRICT OF TAMIL NADU
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Date
2004
Authors
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ACHARYA N.G. RANGA AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY, RAJENDRANAGAR, HYDERABAD
Abstract
The study was conducted to assess the training needs and knowledge of cotton
farmers.
Ex-post-facto research design was followed for the study. The investigation was
carried out in two taluks of Madurai district where cotton is intensively grown. A sample
of 120 farmers was randomly selected from six villages of two blocks. The data were
collected by personal interview method through structured interview schedule and
analyzed by employing suitable statistical methods.
Majority of the cotton farmers were middle aged with primary school education;
medium farming experience, farming alone as main occupation, small farmers, medium
contact with extension agency, medium mass media exposure, high scientific orientation,
high risk preference, high economic motivation, medium management orientation, high
achievement motivation, medium innovativeness and low training undergone.
Majority of the respondents expressed medium training need and had medium
knowledge about recommended package of practices of cotton cultivation.
Correlation analysis revealed that there was a positive and significant relationship
between training need and independent variables i.e. age, education, contact with
extension agency, mass media exposure, scientific orientation, risk preference, economic
motivation, management orientation, achievement motivation and innovativeness. There
was negative and significant relationship between farming experience, training undergone
with training needs of the respondents. Whereas, occupation and farm size were not
significantly correlated with the training needs of the respondents.
Correlation analysis also revealed that there was a positive and significant
relationship between knowledge and independent variables i.e. age, education, farming
experience, contact with extension agency, mass media exposure, scientific orientation,
risk preference, economic motivation, management orientation, achievement motivation,
innovativeness and training undergone. Whereas, occupation and farm size were not
significantly correlated with the knowledge of the respondents about recommended
practices of cotton.
Regression analysis revealed that all the 14 selected independent variables put
together explained 58.20 percent variation in the training needs and 50.10 percent
variation in knowledge levels of cotton farmers. Further, it also revealed that age,
management orientation and economic motivation in training needs and age, management
orientation and achievement motivation in knowledge had positively and significantly
contributed to the variation.
Insufficient finance, lack of remunerative price, middlemen exploitation, high rate
of interest by moneylenders and insufficient extension activities were the major problems
encountered by the farmers. The respondents expressed provision of proper credit
facilities, provision of remunerative price, elimination of middlemen, improved extension
activities and regulation of the input costs at the time of peak requirement as the major
suggestions to overcome the problems faced by them.
Description
Keywords
TRAINING, NEEDS, COTTON, GROWERS, MADURAI DISTRICT, TAMIL NADU