A critical analysis on performance of farm based agri-input entrepreneurs in central Telangana region

In a situation when farmers’ suicide and distress sell still remain the key issues in India’s Agricultural scenario, we are dreaming of achieving a double income for the farming community. This gap in the income level of farmers can only be bridged by adopting newer income generating opportunities like establishing Farm based enterprises. Farm based enterprises are the vehicles for transforming rural India, these enterprises are maintained by the agripreneurs this is the people enthusiastically establishing units in agriculture, especially in rural areas. The main aim of my research is to know about the performance of farm based agri input entrepreneurs and their impact on rural people, especially on farmers of the area. The research investigation was conducted in the Central Telangana region of Sanga Reddy district it consists of three revenue divisions namely Zahirabad, Narayanakhed and Sanga Reddy. From each revenue division, nine blocks were selected purposively using a simple random sampling method thus making up a total of 27 blocks. From out of 27 Blocks each block 7-8 respondents were interviewed and collected data with the help of a specially designed interview schedule constituting a total of 200 farm based agri-input entrepreneurs. The main aim of the research is to know the profile of agri-input based Agripreneurs and their role performance in already established farm based agri-input enterprises. The exploratory research design was used for the study. Most of the agri-preneurs (i.e. 80.00 percent) perform only sales and very low percent (i.e. 20.00%) input dealers perform agro-advisory services that specifically for large and medium farmers. 83.00 percent of the respondents had medium level of extent of performance of farm-based enterprises, followed by an equal percentage (8.5%) of respondents who had low and high levels (8.5%) of role performance of farm-based agri-input enterprises respectively.

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Introduction

A farm-based enterprise is one which produces the finished goods by using agricultural raw materials or producing required inputs for farm or producing economic agricultural produce or rendering services for the farm. Ex; Biofertilizers, Livestock, Agro-processing, Agri clinic etc. (Source: vikaspedia.in/agriculture/farm-based enterprises). India in order to remain a frontrunner needs to primarily focus on agricultural sector, the backbone of the economy. This specialization will develop Agri-preneurs with distinct traits and skills to explore opportunities galore in the field of agriculture. Among the various strategies to promote planned growth in this sector, focusing on promoting viable farm based agri-input enterprises will certainly help exploit its operational efficiency to handle. It is a long held view that innovation in the farming sector in India has progressed since the green revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, the drastic change in that period brought high yielding varieties of seeds along with major improvements in irrigation methods and soil nutrition etc. It is a common argument that farmers in India continue to follow the paradigm established by the green revolution even today despite the fact that natural and economic factors demand revolutionary changes in the agricultural sector once again. The farm based enterprises depend upon agriculture for raw materials. Farm based enterprises are the major market of agricultural commodities. Main farm-based enterprises in India are the sugar industry, the cotton textile industry, jute industry, food processing, paper industry and agricultural input industries or companies like seeds, fertilizers and pesticides employment opportunities in the rural areas of the country are increasing due to the establishment of more and more farm-based enterprises. Farm based enterprises play a significant role in agricultural development.

Increasing population growth in the country places pressure on agricultural production. The miss uses of agrochemicals, pesticides and over use of fertilizers increasing rapidly, and the harmful effects of pesticides are now established worldwide. Farmers are the direct users of pesticides and more like to get acute toxicity of pesticides. The chronic toxicity effect the whole population. Farmers were unaware of correct usage of such agrochemicals, they are guided by agri input dealers and retail outlets of agri inputs. Here the role performance of farm based agri-input enterprises and the agripreneurs is great important for quality supply of agricultural inputs and proper recommendations for the diseases and pests of the crops. Today the average age of the farmer increasing globally and encouraging new generation farmers' i.e. youth into farming, farm-based enterprises are crucial because the quality supply of agricultural inputs like seeds, fertilizers, pesticides etc. ensures the quality production and productivity of agricultural products. Farmers get reasonable cost of the farm-based product by interlinking of farm-based enterprise and farmers. Being an agrarian economy, it is the need of the hour for promoting farmbased enterprises and stabilizing Agripreneurship as one of the most emphasized sectors of governmental policies which are being seen as an answer to low production, unemployment, and poverty reduction in the agricultural sector.

Materials and Methods

The research investigation was conducted in Central Telangana region of Sanga Reddy district it consists of three revenue divisions namely Zahirabad, Narayanakhed and Sanga Reddy. From each revenue division, nine blocks were selected purposively using a simple random sampling method thus making up a total of 27 blocks. From out of 27 Blocks each block 7-8 respondents were interviewed and collected data with the help of a specially designed interview schedule it constitutes a total of 200 farm based agri-input entrepreneurs. The collected data were processed and tabulated manually. Using Simple frequency and percentage were calculated to analyze the data. Exploratory and Ex-Post Facto research design was adopted for the study as the event already occurred and the researcher has no opportunity to influence the independent variables. To place it in Kerlinger (1968) words, ex-post facto research is an orderly experimental enquiry wherein the researchers don't have direct control of impacting (independent) factors. Since their appearances have just happened or on the grounds that they are characteristically not manipulatable. The research investigation was conducted in Zahirabad, Narayanakhed and Sanga Reddy Revenue divisions purposively based on the highest number of agripreneurs, nine blocks were selected from each revenue division, thus making up a total of 27 blocks with the main objective is to study and finding out the role performance of Farm based agri-input entrepreneurs. Total sample size constituted to 200 Agripreneurs involved in agri input services drawn from three revenue divisions randomly as shown in Table 1.

S. No.	Category	Response	—	= 45.32
		Frequency	Percentage
1	Low	17	8.5
2	Medium	166	83	=5.37
3	High	17	8.5

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Distribution of respondents based on their extent of

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S. No	Revenue Divisions	Mandals	No of FBEs
1.	Narayankhed revenue	1. Kalher	08
		2. Kangti	18
		3. Manor	10
		4. Nagilgidda	06
		5. Narayankhed	32
		6. Sirgapoor	05
2.	Sangareddy revenue	7. Ameenpur	03
		8. Andole	11
		9. Gummadidala	09
		10. Hathnoora	09
		11. Jinnaram	06
		12. Kandi	0
		13. Kondapur	02
		14. Munipally	13
		15. Patancheru	06
		16. Pulkal	09
		17. Ramchandrapuram	03
		18. Sadasivapet	35
		19. Sangareddy	10
		20. Vatpally	14
3.	Zaheerabab revenue	21. Jharasangam	11
		22. Kohir	14
		23. Mogudampally	03
		24. Nyalkal	14
		25. Raikode	24
		26. Zahirabad	22

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Number of farm-based enterprises in study area

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Results and Discussion

The extent of performance of an agripreneur in the farm-based agri-input enterprise can be operationalized as the various role performed by the agripreneur in their enterprise. Based on the available literature, previous studies and opinion from the extension experts, the various role performed by the agripreneur were documented. The respondents were asked to provide their response against the roles under three-point continuum viz., 'Fully satisfied (FS)', 'Partially satisfied (PS)' and 'Not satisfied (NS)' with the scores 2, 1 and 0 respectively. Based on the total score obtained, the respondents were categorized into low, medium and high as mean and standard deviation as check. From Table .1, it can be evident that more than three-fourth of the respondents (83%) had medium level of role performance of farm-based agri-input enterprises, followed by an equal percentage (8.5%) of respondents who had low and high levels of role performance of farm-based enterprises respectively. It might be because of the reason that a high level of education, good extension agency contact, good information sources and better mass media exposure leads to a medium level of role performance in farm-based enterprises resulting in good advisory services. From Table 2. It revealed that the variables sources of information utilization, innovativeness, extension agency contact and achievement motivation had a positive and significant relationship with the role performance of the farm-based enterprise at a 1 percent level of significance. Subsequently, education, mass media exposure, risk-taking behavior and socioeconomic status had positive relationship with role performance at 5 percent level of significance. Consequently, trainings received, experience, ability to co-ordinate the farming activities, value orientation had no significant relationship with the role performance of the farm-based enterprises. It was due to the reason that, innovativeness and achievement motivation determines the role and distinguishes their performance among the other agripreneurs. From Table 2. in the light of role performance, the variables education, training received, value orientation, extension agency contact, innovativeness and achievement motivation were negatively correlated to the role performance of the respondents. Similarly, experience, sources of information utilization, ability to co-ordinate the farming activities, mass media exposure, risktaking behavior had a positive correlation with the role performance of the respondents. Further, socio-economic status was not related to the role performance of the respondents. It was due to the reason that experience, good sources of information, mass media exposure and risk-taking behaviour determine and improve the role of the respondents in their enterprise.

S. No.	Characteristics	Regression co-efficient	Standard error	t-value	p-value
X1	Education	-0.363	0.387	0.350**	-0.641**
X2	Socio-economic status	-0.998	0.332	0.259**	0.090NS
X3	Trainings received	0.129	0.734	0.860	-0.414**
X4	Experience	-0.012	0.055	0.828	0.295**
X5	Sources of information utilization	0.248	0.137	0.072*	0.692**
X6	Ability to coordinate the farming activities	0.072	0.221	0.743	0.653**
X7	Value Orientation	0.107	0.393	0.787	-0.286**
X8	Extension agency contact	0.483	0.135	0.000*	-0.475**
X9	Mass media exposure	0.084	0.095	0.374**	0.733**
X10	Risk-taking behaviour	-0.308	0.320	0.337**	0.365**
X11	Innovativeness	0.575	0.269	0.034*	-0.150*
X12	Achievement motivation	0.334	0.150	0.027*	-0.534**

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Relationship between the independent variables and extent of role performance of the farm-based enterprise (n=200)

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Conclusion

Farm-based enterprises not only empower farmers but are also involved in the social upliftment of rural areas thereby improving the standard of living, reducing unemployment and poverty alleviation, in another aspect, it becomes necessary to feed the growing population in India. In this study through possible efforts, I would conclude that the role performance of farm based agri-input entrepreneurs is as follows 83.00 percent of the respondents had medium level of extent of performance of farm-based enterprises, followed by an equal percentage (8.5%) of respondents had low and high level of role performance of farm-based enterprises respectively. The Independent variables such as sources of information utilization, innovativeness, extension agency contact and achievement motivation had a positive and significant relationships with the role performance of the farm-based enterprise at 1 percent level of significance. Subsequently, education, mass media exposure, risk-taking behaviour and socio-economic status had a positive relationship with role performance at 5 percent level of significance. Consequently, trainings received, experience, ability to coordinate the farming activities, value orientation had no significant relationship with the role performance of the farmbased enterprises. There is an urgent felt need to concentrate on the farm based agri input enterprises because the farmers completely depend upon the agri input dealer only with intervention of government and other national institutes to give proper guidelines and conducting training session to improve the performance of the farm based agri input entrepreneur's through them quality supply of farm inputs leads to quality production there by improving the standard of living of the farmers, the central government aim of achieving doubling income to the farmers will be possible.

Implications of the study

1. Creating awareness on the usage of insecticides, fungicides and fertilizers used through entrepreneurial programmes, trainings and awareness campaigns. 2. Increased level of education, good extension agency contacts and better exposure to mass media helps them to be aware of the new technologies and practices, 3. Support from family members and the government, innovativeness, self-identity, and need for additional family income motivate them to initiate their business. 4. Most of the respondents were unaware of the purpose and place of training since the participation of respondents in various extension programmes like exhibitions, awareness campaigns, training, etc. becomes necessary. 5. Most of the respondents were aware of the various legal procedures related to documents applying for licenses, seedrelated, fungicides, insecticides, pesticides and fertilizers used, market related. 6. Awareness level of various schemes and technologies seems to be increased through the efforts of Government promotional activities. 7. Most of the respondents had a medium level of role performance and they were aware of their role in their enterprise. 8. Socioeconomic status of respondents does not have any association with the factors that motivate them to start their enterprise or their extent of role performance. 9. Providing vocational training programmes, managerial and technical assistance, financial assistance, space and infrastructure facility, increased awareness about government schemes and institutional support, providing good education, and credible sources of information which in turn promote the farm-based enterprises. 10. Eliminating the middlemen, creating new market opportunities, regulating the price of inputs, and provision of bank loans with low-interest rates also motivated them to do their job efficiently and effectively.

Limitations of the study

Though all possible efforts were made to make the study objective and precise, certain limitations did remain. The present study, being part of the Master's programme, has the normal limitations of time, funds and other facilities commonly faced by single-student researchers. These limitations led to the purposive selection of only one district as the locale of the study. Generalizations made based on the findings of the study may not be directly applicable to other areas and need to be substantiated with other studies.

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Distribution of respondents based on their role performance

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