Marketing Status of Various Insecticide Brand and Buying Behaviour of Onion Growers in Amreli District, India

Abstract

One of the most significant commercial vegetables is the onion (Allium cepa L.; Family: Amaryllidaceae). Onion is a cool season crop. India stands at second position in onion production after China in the world. In India, Gujarat stands at second position in onion cultivation after Maharashtra state. The present study has been undertaken  in Rajula, Savar Kundla, Khambha, and Dhari talukas of the Amreli district, as all four talukas have higher areas under onion cultivation. A multistage sampling technique was adopted to select the districts, talukas, and villages. Total 120 onion growers and 20 insecticide dealers were selected for the study. The study was mainly based on primary data, which were collected through personal interviews with the help of a structured survey schedule. The study revealed that the highest market share was captured by United Phosphorus Limited Company followed by Dhanuka Agritech Limited Company and Dharmaj Crop Guard Limited Company. The results showed that the highest percentage of onion growers belonged to the 35 to 50 age group and had a primary education level. Most of the onion growers belonged to semi-medium and small land-holding groups and had annual incomes between ₹ 2,27,693 to ₹ 5,10,058. The highest percentage of onion growers belonged to the farming + animal husbandry category. Bore wells were observed as the main source of irrigation in the study area. More than 50 per cent of onion growers belonged to the nuclear family. Most onion growers have more than 15 years of farming experience. It is also concluded that most of the growers bought onion insecticides from the dealers on a credit basis. Therefore, companies should define and ease the conditions for credit availability, so that it could be affordable for both farmers and dealers. Most of onion growers preferred the same brand and same quantity and shifted to other brands when insecticides were not available. Both farmers and dealers emphasized quality parameters while purchasing insecticide products, hence insecticide companies should highlight the quality parameters through better promotional activities.