MARKETING PATTERN OF LOCALLY MANUFACTURED FARM MACHINERY IN DISTRICT KHANEWAL

Abstract

Agricultural mechanization encompasses the creation, production, and dissemination of various machinery, infrastructure, and tools designed for farming operations, post-harvest activities, and processing. This involves the implementation of appropriate farm machinery, which can be sourced either through imports or local production. The objective of this study was to investigate the marketing pattern of locally manufactured farm machinery among farmers. From the four tehsils of District Khanewal total of 60 farmers who had purchased one or more machinery in the last year were chosen. Respondents were interviewed face-to-face on a structured, validated and reliable questionnaire. Collected data were analyzed with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Results confirmed that regarding the farmers, over 90 percent purchased new farm machinery directly, with a significant majority providing hiring services rather than operating the machinery on their land. The satisfaction level among farmers with the working conditions of the machinery was high although challenges such as credit unavailability spare parts unavailability and poor quality were reported.