farmers PercePtions on challenges and oPPortunities ...

Journal of Research, SKUAST-J, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp 48-57 (2011)

FARMERS PERCEPTIONS ON CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMERCIALIZING PEAR (Pyrus communis) IN KASHMIR VALLEY OF J&K STATE Quadri Javeed Ahmad Peer, M. S. Nain, and Parveen Kumar Deen Dayal Upadhayay Institute of Rural Development

Dr B.R. Ambedkar University, Agra - 282004

Downloaded From IP - 14.139.224.82 on dated 21-Feb-2013

www.IndianJournals.com

Members Copy, Not for Commercial Sale

ABSTRACT Around 20 lakh persons are, in one way or the other, being benefited by the fruit industry of the J&K state. Although, adequate steps are being taken to save the worsening fruit industry at policy level but spurious fungicides, pesticides, non availability of fertilizers, lack of cold storage facilities to preserve the fruit etc. continue to be the worry of the farmers. As the extremely long time period between cash outflows and inflows in fruit production creates risk. A basic feasibility study involving factors, resource constraints, market potential etc. having direct influence on farm enterprise had been conducted in Baramulla district of J&K state. One hundred pear growing farmers from Sumbal block were interviewed to analyse their knowledge and perceptions regarding pear cultivation. The findings shows that the respondents preferred to consult the information sources of immediate availability and their concern to subject and policies. Farmers were having very low knowledge regarding the insects and diseases whereas the farmers were fully knowledgeable in the components of propagation. The sub areas like bio fertilizers, identification and control of major insects and diseases, exogenic variables of humidity and terrain, propagation distance, storage and value addition were grey area of knowledge. The respondents’ have shown their agreement towards the commercialization and profitability of pear farming and expressed high level of infrastructural constraints followed by input related constraints and know how related constraints respectively.

Key Words: Pear farming, constraints, information sources, practice wise knowledge score, farmers’ perception

INTRODUCTION The climate of Kashmir is favourable for the production of fruits like apple, pear, Cherrie, plum, grapes, pomegranate, mulberry, peache, apricot, walnut and almond. Pear fruits not only supplement the diet of the people, but also form an important item of export to other parts of India. They provide generous income since they are highly valued and have a huge demand. The main pear cultivars grown in Kashmir Valley of J&K state include William, Kashmir Nakh, Vicar of Wakefield, Beuree D. Amanlis, Goshbagu, Beurre Hardy,Keifer, Gola, PatharNaKh, Leconte which were introduced by the European settlers and they have continually been grown. The main challenges limiting pear production includes lack of certified and improved planting materials, low knowledge on management procedures, poor postharvest handling, lack of processing facilities, low value addition and unstructured marketing channels (Gathungu et al., 2009)[1]. Other general constraints in pear production includes the lack of mechanism for timely input output delivery, grading, packaging, poor market infrastructure, agro processing plants, marketing credit, proper pricing, uniform grading and standardization of weights and measures, inadequate and poor dissemination of market information, poor post-harvest handling, low and declining

48

Challenges and opportunities for commercializing pear




productivity. Due to unavailability of packaging and processing facilities, 30 per cent of the total fruit produced get wasted. low level of management mainly fertilization pruning and disease/pest control, farmers obtain low yields with majority of small sized fruits. According to an estimate of State Horticulture Department, J&K government, around 20 lakh, persons are, in one way or the other, being benefited by the fruit industry of the state. Apart from achievements, this sector also faces certain challenges like the average land holding size (0.76 hectare) which is not sufficient for the commercialization of the horticulture activity. The existing pear assortment worldwide is becoming too conservative and therefore, the market conditions and the sensibility of certain varieties towards some pests and diseases, require not only complementing of the existing assortments but also a replacement of varieties with more quality and less sensitive to the unfavorable biotic and abiotic factors Gliha, [2]. Farmers allege that spurious fungicides, pesticides and fertiliser are being supplied to them at exorbitant rates. Even if the production is up to the mark, there are no cold storage facilities to preserve the fruit in case of shipping delays. However, the government says adequate steps are being taken to save the worsening fruit industry. As rural development programmes are mostly oriented towards creating job opportunities, horticulture development would prove to be the best investment in this direction as one-time investment made in plantation programmes will increase the potential to provide job opportunities for a long period. The cultivation of fruits plants per acre of land provides a comparatively larger volume of employment opportunities to the local people than the cultivation of traditional agricultural crops. A significant level of increase in the labour absorption in fruit cultivation over the last few years also reflects the importance of horticulture for the overall development of the area. The uncertainty about profit combined with the extremely long time period between cash outflows and inflows in agricultural production creates risk. A basic feasibility study involving factors, resource constraints, market potential etc. having direct influence on farm enterprise may help avoid the cost associated with wrong decision and also ensure the profitability of the venture. As such the present study had been conducted with the objective to explore the farmers’ perceptions regarding the constraints in pear production in Kashmir valley of J&K state.

MATERIALs AND METHODS The study was conducted in purposively selected Sumbal block of Baramulla District of Kashmir valley in J&K state owing to the reason that the Pear is cultivated intensively in the selected block. One hundred orchardist from seven villages namely Nesbal, Asham, Sumbal, Ganrstan, Chak Ganestan, Bazipora and Shadipora were selected randomly. The data were collected on well structured interview schedule designed for the purpose. The schedule consisted of the items related to socio personal characteristics of the farmers, knowledge test, an index for measuring the attitude of farmer towards pear farming and finally the constraints in pear production. The knowledge test consisted of items related to land, soil and exogenic variables (soil type , terrain, rainfall, temperature, humidity), propagation (variety selection, propagation

49

Journal of Research, SKUAST-J method, time, pit size, plant distance ), manures and fertilizers (doses and timing of organic, inorganic and bio fertilizers), diseases and insects(identification , Control measures ) , cultural operations (training, pruning, weeding, intercrop management) and handling of produce (harvesting, value addition, storage, marketing) . The farmers’ perceptions were sought on scope of commercialization, know how related, input and infrastructure related aspects on three point continuum of strongly agree, agree and disagree with a score of 3,2 and 1 respectively.

RESULTs AND DISCUSSION 1. Socio economic profile The general profile of the pear farmers had been studied to have a look on various socio-economic characteristics which have been presented in Table 1. The Table 1 Distribution of respondents according to their socio economic profile Downloaded From IP - 14.139.224.82 on dated 21-Feb-2013



n=100 S.No. 1.

Characteristics Age

2

Education

3.

Occupation

3

Annual Income

4.

Land Holding

5.

Family Type

6

Living standard

Category Young (up to 45 years) Middle (45-60 years) Old (Above 60 years) Illiterate Primary school Middle school Up to Hr. Sec Graduate/above Farming and orchardist Farming + orchardist and business Farming + orchardist and service Up to र 50000/र 50000/- to र 100000/Above र 100000/Up to one acre 1- 5 acre 5-10 acre Above 10 acre Joint Nuclear Well to do Medium Poor

50

Percentage 20 51 29 52 08 05 27 8 88 03 09 03 07 90 1 62 31 6 42 58 44 52 04

Challenges and opportunities for commercializing pear data in table 1 revealed that majority of the respondents (51 per cent) were middle aged followed by old age (29 per cent). Majority of the respondents 52.00 per cent were illiterate followed by higher secondary school, whereas, only 8.00 per cent of the respondents were graduate and above. The results revealed that a high majority of the respondents were either uneducated or low educated. Realization of the distance of study centres from the village might have prevented the parents from providing education to the respondents. It was found that majority of the respondents (88 percent) had drawn their livelihood from farming only and (90 percent) earn more than one lakh rupees annually, only 4.00 percent were poor. Majority (58 per cent) were living in nuclear family and majority were small and marginal farmers. Living standard of majority of farmers were medium.




2. Contact with Change agency Table 2 reveals the weighted mean contact index of the respondents calculated by giving 3, 2,1 and zero score to regular consultation , occasional consultation, knowledge only and no knowledge respectively. The data reveals that commission agents and Horticultural Development Table 2 Distribution of respondents according to their contacts with change agency

S. No

Change Agent

1

Junior Agricultural Assistant (JAA)

2

n=100

Frequency of contact (Percentage)

Weighted Mean Contact Index

Not Known

Know only

Know and Know and consult consult occasionally regularly

57

22

15

06

0.70

29

26

10

1.11

3

Horticultural Development 35 Officer (HDO) Subject matter 82 specialist(SMS)from State development department

11

07

0

0.25

4

SMS from KVK

90

08

01

01

0.13

5

Input dealers

15

75

10

00

0.95

6

Commission Agents (Aarties)

0

85

05

10

1.25

7

University (SKUASTK) scientists Research (CITH)scientists

90

08

02

00

0.12

98

2

00

00

0.02

8

51

Journal of Research, SKUAST-J Officer of the state line department were ranked as consulted more whereas scientists and KVK personnel were consulted least by the pear growers. The findings shows that the respondents preferred to consult the information sources of immediate availability and their concern to subject and policies. The findings are somewhat similar to that of Bhagat et.al [3], Mahantesh and Singh [4] where it was reported that the scientists were used at a lower extent for information.

3. Farmers’ Knowledge of pear farming




Table 3 depicts that 56 percent of the farmers possessed medium level of knowledge regarding the pear cultivation whereas only 21 percent were highly knowledgeable farmers. Further table 4 shows that farmers were having very low knowledge regarding the insects and diseases whereas the farmers were fully knowledgeable in the components of propagation. Knowledge regarding other components of technology namely; land, soil and exogenic variables, manures and fertilizers, cultural operations and handling of produce were reported to be medium. Table 3. Distribution of respondents according to their knowledge regarding pear farming n=100 S.No.

Category of knowledge

Percentage

1

Low

23

2

Medium

56

3

High

21

Although, most of components were ranked in medium level of knowledge by the respondents but sub components in between were rated differentially. The aspects of training, pruning, time of propagation, fertilization, harvesting and marketing were ranked in high knowledge category for the reason that the purpose of pruning young trees is to control their shape by developing a strong, well-balanced frame work of scaffold branches that ensures proper tree management including harvesting and productivity. It is important for farmers to grow pears to best advantage with respect to yield, size of fruit, and other factors since their marketing depends on the size of the fruit with the preference of large fruits. Pruning and fertilization of pear trees are essential yearly operations. Making correct decisions on the management and efficient utilisation of nutrients contained in manures is important both for the proﬁtability of farm businesses, and to minimise the risks of environmental pollution. Pear trees tend to grow upright that makes it difficult to pick fruits and therefore pruning is critical to maintain a vase shape and hence help in modifying the shape or habit of the plant to facilitate cultivation, spraying and picking of the crop, influences the quantity, size and quality of the fruit and removes, renew, promote or retard the growth of parts of the plant Griesbach, [5]. It is important to provide clear and consistent advice to help farmers and their advisers apply best management practices in the use of manures

52

Challenges and opportunities for commercializing pear Table. 4 Practice wise Knowledge of the farmers regarding scientific cultivation of pear




n=100 S. No.

Farm Practice

Not Known

Partially Known

Fully Known

Weighted Mean Knowledge

Level of knowledge

1

Land, soil and exogenic variables

Soil type

0

45

55

1.08

Medium

1.55

Medium

Terrain

56

32

Rainfall

23

35

12

0.56

Low

42

1.19

Temperature

9

Medium

25

66

1.57

Medium

Humidity

55

2

Propagation

36

9

0.54

Low

1.352

Variety selection

9

35

High

56

1.47

Medium

Propagation method

0

Time

0

53

47

1.47

Medium

6

94

1.94

Plant distance

High

30

65

5

0.75

Low

3

Manures and fertilizers

1.18

Medium

Doses of organic fertilizers

40

19

41

1.01

Medium

Timing of organic fertilizers

0

5

95

1.95

High

Doses of inorganic fertilizers

36

25

39

1.03

Medium

Timing of inorganic fertilizers

10

12

78

1.68

Medium

Doses of bio fertilizers

55

42

3

0.48

Low

Timing of bio fertilizers

18

70

12

0.94

Medium

4

Diseases and insects

0.92

Low

Identification of major diseases

44

27

29

0.85

Medium

Control measures of major diseases

40

31

29

0.89

Medium

Identification of major insects

20

51

29

1.09

High

Control measures of major insects

22

49

19

0.87

Medium

5

Cultural operations

1.29

Medium

Training

4

44

54

1.52

High

Pruning

2

33

65

1.63

High

Weeding

12

36

52

1.4

Medium

Intercrop management

57

23

20

0.63

Low

6

Handling of produce

1.17

Medium

Harvesting

7

35

63

1.61

High

Value addition

33

58

9

0.76

Low

Grading and packing

24

29

47

1.23

Medium

Storage

50

25

25

0.75

Low

Marketing

9

29

62

1.53

High

53

Journal of Research, SKUAST-J Table 5. Farmers perceptions on different aspects of pear farming S.

Aspects of perception

Strongly

No. 1




2

3

4

Agree

Disagree

Agree

Weighted mean score

Scope for Commercialization of Pear farming

2.67

Pear farming is a profitable business

100

0

0

3.00

Pear farming helps to raise standard of living

100

0

0

3.00

Pear has a nutritional and medicinal value

100

0

0

3.00

We should bring more land under pear farming due to its profitability

100

0

0

3.00

Pear tree acts as a wind break

91

5

4

2.87

Pear cultivation require minimum input

89

0

11

2.78

The progress in your village is due to pear farming

0

8

92

1.08

Traditional methods of pear farming are easy to adopt

87

12

1

2.86

The skill in grading and packing the produce have direct bearing on rates

89

5

6

2.83

Scientific methods of pear farming is complicated to learn

76

22

2

2.74

Butraat (related to soil, land and cultivation) programme from Radio Kashmir provide very minimal information on pear farming

75

11

14

2.61

Change agents are unaware of farmers’ problems

15

1

84

1.31

Agricultural University (SKUASTK) is not paying 93 attention to pear farming

7

0

2.93

Know how constraints related

2.01

Input related constraint

2.24

Scientific pear production is expensive

0

36

64

1.36

Non availability of skilled labour effects harvesting time and packing quality

86

0

14

2.72

Pear farming require more labour

10

0

90

1.20

Improper storage facility causes lose of produce

99

0

1

2.98

Bank loan facility is very complicated for pear farming

97

3

0

2.97

The improper transportation and long distances causes injury to the fruit

21

0

79

1.42

State government aids are inadequate for pear farming

10

80

10

2.00

Marketing facilities for pear are improper

100

0

0

3.00

Infrastructural constraints related

2.47

54

Challenges and opportunities for commercializing pear Smith et al, [6]. The grey sub areas like bio fertilizers, identification and control of major insects and diseases, exogenic variables of humidity and terrain, propagation distance, storage and value addition were ranked in low knowledge category. The method of learning is essentially hands-on. The nature of what farmers knew was restricted by the methods of transmitting what was known. Farmers have always had to possess multiple skills and learned the skills directly associated with farming to become highly self-reliant. For the most part, if not entirely, these skills are acquired through a kind of informal apprenticeship. Young people acquired the skills and knowledge of farming through doing what their parents did.




4. Farmers’ perceptions Any attempt to promote the farmers’ attitude could improve their practice. Therefore, rural farmers are in fact soldiers who implement and improve sustainable agriculture, so promoting their knowledge, improving their attitude and also increasing their practice are all the important tasks of the authorities and officials in charge of sustainable pear fruit production. With this in view farmers’ perceptions were sought on four major aspects of pear production viz; scope for commercialization, know how related, input related and infrastructure related of pear production on three point scale of strongly agree, agree and disagree with3,2 and 1 weights. It is clear from table 5 that the respondents show their agreement towards the commercialization and profitability of pear farming with weighted mean score of 2.67.The table further shows that the farmers expressed high level of infrastructural constraints (2.47)followed by input related constraints (2.24) and know how related constraints (2.01) respectively. The results are in confirmation to Bhagat et al [7] whereas know how and input related constraints were reported responsible factors for knowledge and adoption. The farmers perceptions are sufficient indications to look into the aspects of dissemination of proper know how and creation of desired infrastructural facilities including transport, storage marketing and credit facility.

CONCLUSION The present study showed that the level of literacy of farmers was very low which influences the attitude of farmers. By promoting, their socio-economic status toward fundamentals of sustainable pear fruit production. Lack of certified and improved planting materials, low knowledge on management procedures within the farming communities, poor postharvest handling, lack of processing facilities, low value addition and unstructured marketing channels were reported as hindering factors which need to be looked into at policy level. In addition, agricultural scientists should state the performance of new technologies in terms of net income per hectare, and not just in terms of yield per hectare along with the systematic effort to disseminate the technology through participatory field demonstration, on farm trials and information support through local mass media coverage. Also all programmes designed to foster access to technologies must be gender sensitive. A cadre of Rural

55

Journal of Research, SKUAST-J Farm Science Managers should be developed by training a couple of women and men members of every panchayat/ local body in the management of new information and communication technology. Under the 73rd Constitution Amendment, the responsibility of Panchayats includes agriculture and agriculture extension. Perhaps, a person could farm in modern ways and not have much theoretical knowledge, through, emulating his or her neighbors and following advice of government agricultural extension agents, a person could farm well enough to survive but if professionalization of food producers is desirable overall, then, it is high time to take steps in this direction to avoid the possible harms that could result from such delay.

REFERENCES




1. Gathungu, G.K., Ngugi, C.W., Wasilwa, A.L. Pertet, E.P., D.N, Chege and E.Charagu. 2009. Challenges and opportunities for commercializing temperate fruits in Kenya. In: Information package, 1st All Africa Horticulture Congress. 31st August – 3rd September 2009., Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya; 211-212 2. Gliha, R.1997. Sorte krušaka u savremenoj proizvodnji. Fragaria, Zagreb. 3. Bhagat, G. R., Nain M. S. and Nanda Rakesh 2004 Information sources for agricultural technology. Indian Journal of Extension Education. 40:111-112 4. Mahantesh, N. and Singh, A. 2009. A Study on farmers’ knowledge, perception and intensity of pesticide use in vegetable cultivation in western Uttar Pradesh. Pusa Agri Science 32; 63-69 5. Griesbach, J. 2007. Growing temperate fruit trees in Kenya. World Agro forestry Centre, Nairobi, Kenya. 6. Smith, K. A., Dampney P. M. R., Williams J.R. and and Chambers B.J. 2008. Manure management: research knowledge into best practice. http://www.ramiran.net/ doc08/RAMIRAN_2008/ Smith.pdf 7. Bhagat, G. R. , Nain M. S. and Kher S. K. 2002 . Knowledge and adoption gap in wheat technology in Jammu. Journal of Research SKUAST-J. 1; 192-196.

56