A STUDY ON CONSTRAINTS FACED BY THE BANANA GROWERS IN THE PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF BANANA

Abstract

The present study is a pioneering venture aimed to study the constraints faced by the banana growers in production and marketing of banana. The study was undertaken in one block of Tiruchirapalli district in Tamil Nadu. By resorting to proportionate random sampling method, 120 farmers were selected as respondents. The collected data were tabulated and analyzed using appropriate statistical tools. The farmers had experienced constraints in production and marketing of banana growers. The finding will be of great use for the planners, policy makers, extension specialist, administrators, sociologies and welfare economist while formulating entrepreneurial behavior by designing training programmes and strategies for development of banana production. The production constraints experienced by the farmers in production of bananas were labor scarcity, high labor cost, non-availability of good quality suckers, inadequate power supply, high cost of inputs, inadequate water supply during summer, insufficient credit facilities, pest and diseases attack. Fixation of price by commission agents, lack of cold storage facilities, improper weighing procedures, perishability of the banana, price fluctuation and inadequate transport facilities were the marketing constraints expressed by the respondents. KEY WORDS: Banana, Entrepreneurs, Production, Marketing, Constraints