BORATE, H. V.GIMHAVANEKAR, SHUBHAM SHARAD2019-11-132019-11-132019http://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810135259Present study was conducted in Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg district in South Konkan region of Maharashtra. The sample was constituted 120 livestock owners drawn from two tahsils from Ratnagiri district and two tahsils from Sindhudurg district. The respondents were interviewed with the help of a specially designed schedule. The Ex-post facto research design was used for the present study. The analysis of data revealed that slightly less than two-third (64.16 per cent) of the farmers were in the „middle‟ age category, more than one-third (34.17 per cent) of the farmers were secondary school level of education, more than three-fifth (65.83 per cent) of the farmers had agriculture as their major occupation, more than three-fourth (76.67 per cent) of the respondents had medium annual income, great majority (90.00 per cent) of the livestock owners had medium livestock possession, more than three-fifth (60.83) of the farmers had medium livestock rearing experience. The data again reported that less than one-half (48.00 per cent) of the respondents had marginal land holding, slightly less than one-third (30.00 per cent) of the respondents were in the very poor category of milk production. Management orientation of the farmers indicated that more than one-fourth (32.50 per cent) of the respondents had moderate level of management orientation, less than three-fourth (75.00 per cent) of the respondents had low knowledge regarding livestock rearing practices. It is revealed that half (49.16 per cent) of the livestock owners had very low extent of adoption. As regards to relationship between selected characteristics and adoption of livestock rearing practices revealed that age, education, major occupation, livestock rearing experience and land holding were non significantly related with adoption of livestock rearing practices, whereas annual income, livestock possession, milk production, management orientation and knowledge level were positively and significantly related with the adoption of livestock rearing practices. The analysis of findings regarding constraints perceived by the farmers while rearing of livestock, most important constraints were revealed that adverse climatic conditions (75.00 per cent) was the major constraint, followed by non-availability of green fodder around the year (69.16 per cent), low price for milk (65.83 per cent), high cost of feed and fodder (60.83 per cent), Lack of A.I. as well as veterinary facilities (39.16 per cent), lack of organized market were also reported as a constraints by 39.16 per cent of the livestock owners. Suggestions indicated by the livestock owners, subsidies should be given on certain inputs like veterinary medicines, fodder etc. as suggested by the majority (81.66 per cent) livestock owners, followed by the government should give fundamental or underlying price to milk and milk products (71.66 per cent), provision of marketing channels for sale (64.16 per cent), development of local specific breeds of cattle and buffaloes through selective breeding (44.16 per cent).ennullThesis