Issues and Preferences of Horticulture Farmers

A National Farmers Meet (NFM) was organized by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) at Regional Research Station (RRS), Paiyur, Tamil Nadu on 14.3.2015. The purpose was to sensitize the farmers about improved horticultural production technologies and obtain first-hand information about issues of horticulture farmers of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. A brief survey was conducted at NFM with horticulture farmers as respondents (60) through a structured questionnaire. Analysis of the survey data indicated that Mango, Tomato and Marigold are the major fruit, vegetable and ornamental crops cultivated respectively. Non-availability of critical inputs such as fertilizers, seeds/ planting material and lack of remunerative market price are the major issues in contemporary horticulture, apart from unawareness towards improved horticulture production technologies. Field demonstrations and offcampus training programmes are the two major extension interventions preferred by the horticulture farmers; whereas mass media channels are preferred as information sources apart from institutional sources such as development departments and research institutes. Appropriate extension strategies are suggested based on the findings of the survey