KNOWLEDGE, PERCEPTION AND ROLE PERFORMANCE OF INPUT DEALERS IN AGRO ADVISORY SERVICES IN NORTHERN DRY ZONE OF KARNATAKA

Agro-advisory services are playing major role in farm productivity. Most of the Indian farmers are small and marginal farmers having small land holdings and limited resource availability. Hence it is very important that agro-advisory services viz., diagnosis of pests and diseases, providing market information, soil testing, field visits etc. along with inputs are necessary in raising productivity and income of farmers. In the context of the lack of sufficient field staff and the apparent absence of systematic dissemination of information regarding appropriate agro-advisory services input dealers efficiently became the most important source of information to farmers. Hence the present study was conducted to assess “Knowledge, Perception and Role performance of input dealers in agro advisory services in Northern Dry Zone of Karnataka”. Ex-post facto research design was followed for the study. The investigation was carried out in Northern Dry Zone of Karnataka, because this zone has large numbers of input dealers. Two districts (Bellary and Bijapur) having large number of input dealers and wider diversity of crops were selected purposively. 120 input dealers were selected from these two districts randomly. A total number of 80 farmers were selected randomly at the rate of 20 farmers from the four selected villages from two mandals (Kenchalguda, Halekota villages from Siraguppa mandal and Atharga, Roogi villages from Indi mandal). The data was collected by a personal interview method through structured interview schedule and data was analyzed by employing suitable statistical methods. The profile analysis of input dealers indicated that majority of input dealers were middle aged, graduates, high experience as a dealer, medium farming experience, medium trainings received, medium level of extension contact, marginal land holding, high scientific orientation, medium mass media participation, low level of exposure visits, medium information seeking behaviour, high level of extension service orientation, low level of social participation and majority of them were selling three types of inputs. Majority of input dealers had high level of knowledge, medium level of perception and medium level of role performance. Correlation analysis revealed that there was a positive and significant relationship between role performance and independent variables viz., age, education, number of years of experience as dealer, training received, extension contact, farming experience, scientific orientation, mass media participation, information seeking behaviour, input supply and extension service orientation. There was negative and non-significant relationship between land holding and role performance. Whereas exposure visits and social participation were not significantly related with role performance of input dealers. It also revealed that there was a positive and significant relationship between knowledge and perception with role performance. During the study major problems expressed by the input dealers while providing agro-advisory services were lack of field diagnostic skills, inadequate technical qualification of input dealers, more risk factor involved in agro-advisory services, communication gap, lack of transportation facility, lack of networking in input dealers, lack of various forms/channels of communication, non-availability of timely information material and less demand for agro-advisory services on payment basis by farmers etc. The major suggestions offered by input dealers to overcome the listed problems in providing agro-advisory services were specific training programmes should be conducted regarding diagnostic skills, communication skills, watershed management, soil testing and analysis, graduation in agriculture and technical qualification in agro-advisory services should be made compulsory for giving the licenses to open farm input outlets for effective agro-advisory services, Department of Agriculture should conduct exposure visits, encourage input dealers in activities of FIG’s, CIG’s and rural institutions etc. Majority of the farmers had favourable opinion, followed by less favourable opinion and more favourable opinion about agro-advisory services provided by input dealers. Need based training programmes by extension agencies, transport facility to input dealers by companies, exposure of input agencies to farmers through kisan melas, exhibitions by SAU’s, technical backstopping by Department of Agriculture and making agricultural graduation mandatory to obtain license are the strategies suggested to improve the role performance of input dealers in transfer of technology.