Determinants of farmers purchase and expenditure share of Mahadhan water soluble fertilizer in Yavatmal district

Introduction

Water soluble fertilizers dissolve completely in water and supply nutrients to crops in a readily available form, making them well suited to fertigation and foliar application. Their efficient nutrient absorption, precise dosing and adaptability to different crop growth stages have made them an increasingly important input in modern, high-value agriculture. Yavatmal district of the Vidarbha region in Maharashtra is a major cotton-and soybean-growing area where cropping patterns dominated by cotton, soybean, gram and wheat generate steady demand for balanced and efficient fertilizer application, including water soluble grades. Mahadhan Agritech Limited is one of the established brands supplying water soluble fertilizers to farmers in this region, competing with several other brands for farmers' purchases. Since farmers' purchase decisions are shaped by a combination of economic factors, such as income, price and land holding, and behavioural factors, such as dealer influence, brand trust and past experience, an understanding of what drives these decisions is valuable to the company, its dealers and extension agencies. Equally, knowing what proportion of farmers' total spending on water soluble fertilizers is captured by Mahadhan, relative to competing brands, provides a direct measure of the brand's market standing among the sampled farmers. The study within specific objectives to identify the factors influencing purchase of Mahadhan water soluble fertilizer products by farmers in Yavatmal district and to work out the percentage share of Mahadhan water soluble fertilizer products in the total water soluble fertilizer expenditure of farmers.

Methodology Study Area and Sampling Design

The present study was conducted in Yavatmal district of the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, selected purposively based on the extent of use of water soluble fertilizers by farmers. Out of the sixteen talukas of the district, three talukas, viz., Umarkhed, Arni and Kalam, were selected. From each taluka, three villages were selected, and from each village ten farmers were selected randomly, making a total sample of 90 farmers; in addition. The study pertains to the year 2025-26. Primary data on farmers' purchase-influencing factors and their expenditure on Mahadhan and other-brand water soluble fertilizers were collected from the selected farmers through personal interview using a specially designed schedule.

Analytical Methods Factors influencing purchasing power

The factors influencing farmers' purchasing power of Mahadhan water soluble fertilizers were analysed using a multiple linear regression model of the following form:

Factors influencing purchase decision

The relative importance of product-related, economic and behavioural factors, namely dealer influence, brand reputation and trust, credit facilities, quality, past experience, and marketing and promotional activity, in farmers' purchase decisions was assessed using a five-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree).

A mean score was computed for each factor and the factors were ranked accordingly, with a higher mean score indicating greater influence on the purchase decision.

Percentage share of Mahadhan WSF in total WSF expenditure

The percentage share of Mahadhan water soluble fertilizers in farmers' total expenditure on water soluble fertilizers was worked out using the percentage method:

Percentage Share = expenditure on mahadhan water soluble fertilizer products total expenditure on water soluble fertilizers ×100

Results and Discussion Factors Influencing Purchasing Power of Mahadhan Water Soluble Fertilizer

The purchase of Mahadhan water soluble fertilizers is influenced by various socio-economic and product-related factors of farmers, including income, price, land holding, age and education. The results of the multiple regression analysis are presented in Table 1. 1 shows that the explanatory variables included in the model together explained 98 percent of the variation in farmers' purchasing power of Mahadhan water soluble fertilizer (R² = 0.98), indicating a very high explanatory power of the fitted model. Income of farmer (X₁) and price of fertilizer (X₂) exhibited a positive and highly significant relationship with purchasing power (0.24 and 1.01, respectively, significant at 1% level), indicating that higher income and even higher-priced purchases were associated with greater purchase volumes, reflecting farmers' continued reliance on the product despite price levels. Land holding (X₃) showed a negative and significant relationship (-0.14, significant at 1% level), suggesting that farmers with larger holdings purchased comparatively less Mahadhan WSF per unit area, possibly due to a more diversified inputsourcing strategy. Age (X₄) and education (X₅) of farmer were statistically non-significant, indicating that these variables did not have a decisive influence on purchasing power in the study area. Overall, income, price and land holding emerged as the significant determinants of farmers' purchasing power of Mahadhan water soluble fertilizers. Patil & Gaikwad. 2022, analysis the similar result that is landholding size and fertilizer price significantly affected farmers' purchasing power.

Factors Influencing Purchase Decision of Mahadhan Water Soluble Fertilizer

In addition to purchasing power, farmers' purchase decisions are shaped by behavioural and marketing-related considerations. The results of the five-point Likert scale analysis of these factors are presented in Table 2. Table 2 shows an overall positive inclination among the sampled farmers, reflected in an aggregate average mean score of 3.59. Dealer influence emerged as the most critical factor, with the highest mean score of 3.78 (Rank I), closely followed by brand reputation and trust with a mean score of 3.77 (Rank II), underscoring that interpersonal trust with local dealers and established brand credibility are the primary drivers of purchase behaviour. Credit facilities (3.63, Rank III), quality (3.57, Rank IV) and past experience (3.52, Rank V) also showed substantial positive influence, indicating that financial flexibility and consistent product performance support repeat purchases. Marketing and promotional activity ranked lowest (3.24, Rank VI), implying that conventional promotional efforts exert a comparatively weaker direct influence than personal relationships and brand equity. This suggests that strategic efforts to strengthen Mahadhan's market position should prioritise dealer-network relationships, credit support and product quality, while recalibrating promotional activity to better complement dealer-led outreach.

Percentage Share of Mahadhan Water Soluble Fertilizer in Total Water Soluble Fertilizer Expenditure:

The percentage share of Mahadhan in total WSF expenditure indicates the proportion of farmers' total spending on water soluble fertilizers that is captured by Mahadhan products relative to competing brands and was examined through the grade-wise and brand-wise expenditure of the selected farmers.

Conclusion

The study revealed that income, price of fertilizer and land holding were the significant determinants of farmers' purchasing power of Mahadhan water soluble fertilizers, with the fitted regression model explaining 98 percent of the variation, while age and education did not exert a significant influence. Among the behavioural factors shaping the purchase decision, dealer influence and brand reputation and trust emerged as the strongest drivers, indicating that Mahadhan's market performance is largely relationship-and reputation-driven rather than campaign-driven, with marketing and promotional activity playing a comparatively smaller role. In terms of market standing, Mahadhan captured a dominant 72.01 percent share of the selected farmers' total expenditure on water soluble fertilizers, with Grade 12:61:00 as its single largest contributor. Strengthening dealer networks, ensuring competitive pricing, extending credit support and undertaking targeted promotional efforts, particularly to reinforce brand trust, would help Mahadhan Agritech Limited further consolidate and expand its market position among water-solublefertilizer users in Yavatmal district.

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