Major constraints faced by paddy seed growers in Sivasagar district of Assam

Introduction

Rice is the primary staple food for nearly half of the world's population, sustaining over 3.5 billion people and serving as a crucial source of daily caloric intake across Asia (Mohidem et al, 2022) [1] . Rice is the most important food crop in Assam. It occupies 2.5 million ha area in Assam with a production of 5.3 million ton and contribute 96% of Assam's total food grain production (Statistical handbook, 2022). At present, Assam is self sufficient in paddy production; but with increasing population and growing demand of paddy in national market, there is potentiality of higher paddy production. Seed is the vital factor of crop production. Use of quality seeds of improved varieties is necessary to increase crop productivity and income of small farmers. Timely supply of sufficient quantity of quality seeds of high yielding varieties increases crop yields by 15-25% and it can be further raised up to 45% with timely applications and efficient management of other inputs such as fertilizer, irrigation water and pesticides. Seeds, as technological carriers, not only facilitate the realization of the potential of different crop varieties but also enable effective crop management practices (Chauhan, 2020) [3] . The quality of seeds has been a focal point in Indian agriculture, with studies emphasizing the importance of ensuring the availability of quality seeds to farmers at affordable prices (Chouhan, 2016). Benefits of using quality seed facilitate higher percentage of seed emergence, minimize replanting, enhance resistance to stress and diseases resulting uniform ripening, which confirms more uniformity in the harvested grain. And most importantly there will be less mixture and that can mean a higher market price. Sivasagar district is of the most productive paddy growing district of Assam. In Sivasagar district, the productivity of rice has recorded an average of 53.17qt/ha against the average yield 32.17qt/ha at farmers' field (Bordoloi et al., 2022) [5] . So, there is scope to increase rice productivity in the district supplying quality seed to the farmers. On continuous effort of KVK Sivasagar through numbers of awareness programme, farmers of the district are adopting seed replacement technology. Sources of paddy seeds in the district are KVK, Sivasagar, seed dealers of the district and small scale farmers producing seeds individually or under FPC banner. With the increasing demand of the quality seed in the district, many farmers are coming forward for production of quality seed in the district. But these small scale seed producers are facing lots of constraints to get the proper market and to get benefits of quality seed production. This study is done to identify the constraints faced by the seed growers of Sivasagar district and to understand the gap between the seed growers and seed dealers of the district.

Materials and Methods

The study was carried out in Sivasagar district of Assam, where numbers of paddy seed growers have increased in recent years. The district is situated in Assam between 94° 25' to 95° 22' E longitudes and 26° 45' to 27° 15' N latitudes. A total of 80 respondents were selected for the study through random sampling, comprising of 60 numbers of seed grower from Demow, Gaurisagar and Nazira block www.extensionjournal.com of the district. To understand the marketing gap, 20 numbers seed dealer of the district were also selected for the study. The study was conducted through structured questionnaires, on site visit and personal interview to get the primary information straight from the respondents. Henry's Garett Ranking technique: The constraints of seed producers and seed dealers were analyzed using Garrett's ranking technique (Garrett and Woodsworth, 1969) [6] . The ranks achieved by each respondent were converted into per cent position by using formula: The estimated percent positions were converted into scores using the Garrett's table. The mean score values obtained for analyzed factor were tabulated. The constraint found the highest mean value was considered as the most important one and the others were followed.

Results and Discussion

The constraint analysis of the seed growers shows significant challenges in terms of socio-economical condition as well as technologically. Assured market, Non availability of labourer on time, Small land holding, High cost involved in seed production, Reluctant to produce quality seed etc are most important socio-economic factors affecting the seed growers (Table :1). From the analysis, it is found that assured market for the produced seeds with Garrett score 79 is the most challenging constraints of the seed producers which indicates market instability. Non availability of labourer on time (78.05) and small land holding (77.7) are next most significant social issues, which indicate limitation of workforce and resources. [7] and Raj et al. 2008 [8] where overall 84.40 per cent quoted non availability of seed at proper sowing time it was ranked I in Jharkhand situation. Second one shortage of labour which was found 79.82 per cent and ranked II. Third one is Small land holding which was found 72.48 per cent and ranked III.

In a study carried out in Telangana, major constraints faced by rice growers were unfavourable weather conditions which ranked first with Garrett mean score around 85, followed by higher labour wage (Jayaprada et al., 2023) [9] . Patel, Jain and Prasad (2019) [10] studied the production constraints and high cost of production was the highest ranked constraint. As the land situation of Sivasagar district is favourable for paddy production with less input; constraints in the district are different from other states of India. A major share of produced paddy seed is sold by the input dealers of the district. But the marketing channel is not working very well in the district because of various constraints faced by input dealers (Sharma, 2017) [11] . Therefore, the study extended with 20 numbers of input dealers of the district to identify the constraints (Table 3). Seeds obtained from the farmers was found the most challenging constraint (75 Garret score) according to the input dealers as the seeds were not properly cleaned. It is also recorded that the score is much higher that the second ranked constraint small scale supply from producer (60.75). Non attractive packaging (58.5), irregular supply of seed (57.75) and disagreement over price (39.45) were also recorded accordingly. Similar study was done by Sahu et al., 2026 [12] , stated as financial constraint as ranked 1 st .

Conclusion

The study highlights that the small seed growers of Sivasagar district face various constraints which effect production, registration process and getting a market for the seed they produce. An assured market gives the confidence to the seed producers to produce quality seed. Seed certification agencies should simplify the registration process so that farmers can register themselves in a short period of time. Also study reveals that on cleaning properly and maintaining the seed quality, farmers will be able to establish a good marketing channel with the input dealers.

Acknowledgement

AcknowledgmentThe authors sincerely acknowledge the respondents from the Sivasagar districts of Assam, who provided valuable information and extended their full support throughout the study.

References

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