CONSTRAINTS PERCEIVED BY THE CHICKEN FARMERS IN MANIPUR

Abstract

A study was conducted in two purposively selected districts viz. Bishnupur and Imphal West districts of Manipur with a view to find out the socio-economic traits of the chicken farmers and to study the constraints faced by them. A total of 100 respondents were selected randomly from the study area and data were collected from them by a pretested, valid and reliable interview schedule. Besides the socio-economic variables, some important constraints of chicken farming assessed earlier by Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) Method conducted in two villages- one in each district were incorporated in the interview schedule.

The study revealed that average age, average experience and average family size were 40.56 years, 5.12 years and 5.54 numbers respectively in Bishnupur district. The corresponding figures in Imphal district were 39.30 years, 5.14 years and 5.32 numbers. The average annual income are Rs. 1,05,700.00 in Bishnupur and Rs. 87,500.00 in Imphal West district.

In respect of educational qualification, half (50%) of the respondents in Bishnupur district had graduation and above qualification followed by 26 percent having read up to higher secondary level and only 24 percent up to class X in Bishnupur district. But in Imphal West district majority of them (38%) read up to class X and equal number (26%) read up to higher secondary and graduation and above, and only 10 percent read up to middle school. While scoring applied mean score of education was 5.26 in Bishnupur and 4.68 in Imphal West district. Out of all these variables only educational qualification showed a significant mean difference between two districts at 1 percent level of probability. Constraints perceived by majority respondents were- electricity supply failure, bandh and blockade, high rise of price of day old chick and feed, market fluctuation, lack of awareness regarding poultry farming and lack of financial assistance.