ADOPTION OF RECOMMENDED PULSE PRODUCTION PRACTICES BY FARMERS OF ANDHRA PRADESH- BASELINE STUDY UNDER BIOTECH KISAN HUB PROJECT

Biotech-KISAN Hub, established at Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh with the major objectives of assessment of the yield gaps in major pulses and groundnut in Scarce rainfall zone i.e., Srikakulum and Visakhapatnam districts and North coastal zone i.e., Ananthapur and Kurnool districts. Conducted base line survey at selected 25 villages in these districts with 60 farmers from each district to assess the potentials of the districts by developing a database in order to exploit resources and develop action plans in cooperation with line departments. The adoption index was found to be medium to low in case of Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam districts and medium to high in case of Ananthpur and Kurnool districts indicating that more focused interventions are required in the North coastal zone when compared to Scarce rainfall zone. The overall Adoption Index indicated that majority of the respondents fell in the medium category (49.00%) followed by High (35.00%) and low category (15.00%) indicating that there is scope to increase adoption of recommended practices. The constraint analysis of the respondents regarding adoption of pulse production practices revealed that the major constraints as perceived by the respondents of the four districts were small farm size, poor income level, lack of knowledge, high cost of inputs, lack of technical skill and poor extension contacts. Hence thrust should be given to these areas prior to any intervention and action plans.