Personal and Socio-economic Characteristics of Date Palm Growers of Banaskantha and Patan District of Gujarat, India

Abstract

The aim of this investigation was to determine the personal and socio-economic status of the date palm growers of the Banaskantha and Patan districts of Gujarat. A survey was carried out using 120 date palm growers from the Banaskantha and Patan districts. The sampling of the respondents was done using the random sampling approach combined from both the districts. The data was analysed using frequency and percentage distributions. The study found that (52.50%) of the respondents were 36 to 55 years old. About (35.00%) had completed higher secondary schooling and 24.17% had studied up to the college level. More than half (55.83%) had medium farming experience and lived in households of five to nine members (50.00%). A majority of date palm growers were semi-medium and medium farmers with 2.1 to 4.0 hectares of land (56.67%) and (72.50 %) had orchards of 1.0 to 2.0 hectares. Half of the growers held membership in more than one organization. Farming combined with animal husbandry was the main occupation for (65.00%) of respondents. Annual income ranged from ₹ 3, 00,000 to ₹ 9, 00,000 for (72.50%) of growers. Most respondents showed medium risk preference (60.00%) and medium economic motivation (56.67%). A favourable attitude toward date palm cultivation was observed in (73.33%) of growers. Key information sources included village-level workers, progressive farmers, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, agricultural universities and research centres, digital media, printed materials, relatives and friends and input dealers, which were ranked in that order. Farmers mainly sold their produce directly to consumers (35.00%) or through retailers (33.33 %). The findings provide useful insights for extension services to design targeted interventions aligned with farmers’ resources, constraints and productivity.