Attitude of grape growers towards grape cultivation and its relationship with selected characteristics in Sangli district of Maharashtra

Introduction

Grape is an important commercial fruit crop of India which contributes to the maximum share of export of fresh fruits and vegetables from India to Europe and other parts of the world. Grape is one of the important fruit covering an area of 116 thousand hectares occupying 1.70% of the total area. Major grape-growing states are Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and the north-western region covering Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Maharashtra ranks first in terms of production accounting for more than 82.56% of total production and highest productivity in the country. Maharashtra is the largest grape producing state in the country. The Government of Maharashtra has put up a proposal for setting up of Agri Export Zone encompassing Nasik, Sangli, Pune, Solapur, Satara and Ahmednagar to export table variety of grapes, as well as, the value-added products like wine in a coordinated manner. However, Nasik and Sangli districts are ahead in the production of grapes in a scientific manner. Grape cultivation is an important commercial farming activity requiring substantial investment, technical knowledge and careful management of production and marketing risks. The performance of grape growers is influenced not only by the availability of production resources but also by their perceptions, attitudes, access to information and willingness to adopt improved agricultural practices. Attitude represents an individual's predisposition to respond favourably or unfavourably towards a particular object, practice or situation. In agricultural production, growers' attitudes towards improved technologies, risk, innovation and scientific practices may influence their willingness to experiment with and adopt recommended practices. Grape production is particularly sensitive to climatic variability, pest and disease incidence, input costs, labour availability and fluctuations in market prices. Consequently, growers require appropriate knowledge and a favourable orientation towards improved practices to manage production-related uncertainties.

Personal characteristics, socioeconomic status, communication behaviour and psychological characteristics may contribute to differences in farmers' attitudes. The present study was therefore undertaken to assess the attitude of grape growers towards grape cultivation and to examine the relationship between attitude and selected characteristics of grape growers in Sangli district of Maharashtra.

Objectives

The study was undertaken with the following objectives:

1. To study the personal, socio-economic, communicational and psychological characteristics of grape growers.

2. To assess the attitude of grape growers towards grape cultivation.

3. To determine the relationship between selected characteristics of grape growers and their attitude towards grape cultivation.

Materials and methods

Research design and sample

The study was conducted in Sangli district of Maharashtra. A total of 140 grape growers constituted the sample for the study.

Data collection

Primary data were collected from the selected grape growers through a structured interview schedule. Information was collected regarding personal, socio-economic, communicational and psychological characteristics and attitude towards grape cultivation. Variable studied were Age, Education, Experience in grape cultivation, Land holding, Annual income,e Mass media exposure, Social participation, Extension contact, Scientific orientation and Risk orientation while, Attitude towards grape cultivation was treated as the dependent variable.

Statistical analysis

The collected data were classified and tabulated using frequency and percentage distributions. Correlation coefficients were calculated to examine the relationship between the selected independent variables and attitude.

Results and discussion

Personal and socio-economic characteristics

Communicational and psychological characteristics

Table 2 shows that a majority (62.15%) of the respondents had medium mass media exposure. Television was the most frequently used mass medium, with 63.33 per cent reporting regular viewing.

Newspaper reading was predominantly occasional, with 50.00 per cent reporting occasional use.

Social participation was medium among 65.71 per cent of the respondents. Similarly, 63.57 per cent had medium extension contact. Scientific orientation was medium among 68.57 per cent of the grape growers, while 60.72 per cent had medium risk orientation. These findings indicate that most respondents occupied the middle category for the major personal, communication and psychological characteristics studied.

Attitude towards grape cultivation

The statement-wise results indicated generally favourable responses towards risk-bearing, multiple cropping, improved grape cultivation and adoption of improved technologies. A particularly high proportion of respondents strongly agreed that farmers should resort to multiple cropping to reduce the risk associated with growing a single crop (73.57%). Similarly, 75.00 per cent strongly agreed that farmers who are capable of taking more risk than average farmers usually perform well financially. Regarding improved technologies, 72.85 per cent agreed that adoption of improved grape cultivation technology could result in higher income. However, responses to the statement that there is no risk in improved grape cultivation technology were more varied, with 39.28 per cent somewhat agreeing, 20.71 per cent disagreeing and 21.57 per cent strongly disagreeing. The overall distribution showed that 65.00 per cent of grape growers had a favourable attitude, followed by 20.00 per cent with a less favourable attitude and 15.00 per cent with a most favourable attitude.

Relationship between selected characteristics and attitude

The correlation analysis is presented below. The results revealed a positive and significant association between education and attitude. Annual income showed a positive and highly significant relationship with attitude. Similarly, mass media exposure, social participation, extension contact, scientific orientation and risk orientation were positively and significantly associated with attitude.

On the other hand, age, experience in grape cultivation and land holding did not show significant relationships with attitude. The findings suggest that attitude was more closely associated with information, communication and psychological characteristics than with basic demographic characteristics. However, the correlation results indicate association rather than causation.

Conclusion

The study revealed that the majority of grape growers had a favourable attitude towards grape cultivation and improved agricultural practices. Most growers belonged to the middle categories for education, experience, annual income, mass media exposure, social participation, extension contact, scientific orientation and risk orientation. Education, annual income, mass media exposure, social participation, extension contact, scientific orientation and risk orientation were positively associated with attitude. Age, experience and land holding did not show significant associations. The findings highlight the importance of strengthening agricultural communication, extension services, scientific awareness and access to reliable information among grape growers. Regular farmer training programmes, field demonstrations, farmer-to-farmer knowledge exchange and improved access to agricultural information may contribute to strengthening favourable attitudes towards improved grape cultivation practices.

Implications

Extension agencies should focus on:

1. Strengthening regular extension contact with grape growers.

2. Promoting scientific information through television, digital media and other accessible communication channels.

3. Conducting practical training and demonstrations on improved grape cultivation.

4. Encouraging farmer groups and social organizations as platforms for knowledge exchange.

5. Providing timely information related to production technologies and risk management.

6. Improving growers' access to reliable agricultural information to support informed decision-making.

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