Socio-Economic Status of Pomegranate Growers under National Horticulture Mission (NHM) in Solapur District and Constraints Faced by Them

Abstract

The present study was conducted to study socio-economic status of pomegranate growers in Sangola and Malshiras
tehsils of Solapur district. It observed that nearly two third (60.83%) of pomegranate growers belonged to middle age
between 33 to 56 years. More than two third (71.66 %) of pomegranate growers had used medium sources of information.
Maximum number of pomegranate growers (77.50%) had medium level of scientific orientation. A majority of
pomegranate growers (63.33 %) were in the medium level of planning orientation category. Nearly two third (65.83%) of
the pomegranate growers belonged to medium risk orientation. The study pointed out that 47.50 per cent of the
respondents possessed favourable attitude towards NHM. A majority of respondents (66.67%) had medium area under
pomegranate cultivation (1 to 4 ha.). More than one-third (37.50%) of pomegranate growers had medium land holding
between 4.01 to 10 ha. A majority of pomegranate growers (91.66 %) and (87.50%) had used radio and TV as source of
information respectively. Very high majority (74.16%) of the pomegranate growers obtained information from
friends/relatives, while nearly two third (62.50%) of pomegranate growers had always received information through
Radio, followed by Newspaper (56.66 %) and Television (50.83 %). It was observed that under supply constraints,
majority (100.00 %) of pomegranate growers had faced the constraint of lack of availability of disease resistant varieties.