COLLEGE OF AGRIBUSINESS MANAGEMENT

G.B.PANT UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, PANTNAGAR

SYNOPSIS 1. Name of student 2. I.D. No 3. Degree Programme 4. Date of Admission 5. Project Title : Nimisha Mishra : 25235 : MBA (Agribusiness) : July 19, 2010 : Promotional strategy for bio fertilizers in Kumaon Region of Uttrakhand

6. Advisory Committee: (Dr. Mukesh Pandey) Chairman (Dr. T. S. Bhogal) Member (Mr Nirdesh Kumar Singh) Member

1. INTRODUCTION Fertilizers were welcomed with open arms, for they immediately increased the yield of crops. But their recurrent use has done an irreparable damage to the environment. Excess use of chemical fertilizers has led to the pollution and contamination of the soil, has polluted water basins, destroyed micro-organisms and friendly insects, making the crop more prone to diseases and reduced soil fertility. More and more farmers are now looking for more eco-friendly options. Bio-fertilizers have, to some extent provided an answer to the soil contamination voes. Bio-fertilizers are eco-friendly fertilizers, which are being used to improve the quality and fertility of the soil. Bio-fertilizers are made from biological wastes and they do not contain any chemicals. They are beneficial to the soil, as they enrich the soil with micro-organisms that help in producing organic nutrients, which in turn help the soil to fight diseases. They therefore enrich the the nutrient quality of the soil. They also restore the depleted nutrients of the soil. The main sources of bio-fertilizers are bacteria, fungi and cynobacteria (blue-green algae). Plants have a special relationship with bacteria and fungi. They provide the plant with nutrition, resistance against diseases and the ability to combat worst climatic conditions. Bio-fertilizers are being viewed as the future of fertilizers, as they have the ability to solve the problems of salinity of the soil, chemical-run offs from the fields. They, therefore, ensure the well being of the nutrients present in the soil, therefore making the soil more fertile with time.

The green revolution brought impressive gains in food production but with insufficient concern for sustainability. It is well known now that increased use of chemical pesticides (rather abuse) and fertilisers have created chain of problems of soil, environment and water degradation Dependence on chemical fertilizers for future agricultural growth would mean further loss in soil quality, possibilities of water contamination and unsustainable burden on the fiscal system. The Government of India has been trying to promote an improved practice involving use of bio- fertilizers along with fertilizers. Biofertilizers have important environmental and long-term implications, negating the adverse effects of chemicals. At the farm level, the gains from increased use of the technology can spill over to other farms and sectors through lesser water pollution than chemical fertilizers and even to an extent organic manures can create. Biofertilizers have various benefits. Besides accessing nutrients, for current intake as well as residual, different biofertilizers also provide growth-promoting

factors to plants and some have been successfully facilitating composting and effective recycling of solid wastes. By controlling soil borne diseases and improving the soil health and soil properties these organisms help not only in saving, but also in effectively utilising chemical fertilizers and result in higher yield rates. These inputs have multiple beneficial impacts on the soil and can be relatively cheap and convenient for use the government aims not only to encourage their use in agriculture but also to promote private initiative and commercial viability of production. There has been no accelerated growth in distribution with time, inadequate spatial diffusion and despite entry of small private units into the industry there is no clear indication of the success of privatization

Advantages of Using Bio-Fertilizers

The first and the most important advantage of using bio-fertilizers is that they are environment friendly, unlike chemical fertilizers that damage the environment

They are comparatively low on cost inputs and are light on the pockets of the farmers Their use leads to soil enrichment and the quality of the soil improves with time Though they do not show immediate results, but the results shown over time are extremely spectacular

Microorganisms convert complex organic material into simple compounds, so that the plant can easily take up the nutrients

These fertilizers harness atmospheric nitrogen and make it directly available to the plants

They increase the phosphorous content of the soil by solubilising and releasing unavailable phosphorous

Bio-fertilizers improve root proliferation due to the release of growth promoting hormones

They help in increasing the crop yield by 10-25%

Problem Statement Bio-fertilizers are seen as an important alternative technology, since the negative externalities of chemical fertilizers have become well known. The use of the latter has led to considerable environmental cost. Bio-fertilizers do not pollute the soil and do not disrupt the ecological balance, and hence are environment-friendly. An increasing number of farmers are using bio-fertilizers, and the numbers of bio-fertilizer manufacturing units have also grown considerably. However, the market for bio-fertilizers is still not well developed, and the bio-fertilizer industry has not had the growth that was anticipated. The use of bio-fertilizers has still not spread uniformly although there has been a steady rise in their use by certain groups of farmers. This project will be done to study the attitude of farmers towards bio fertilizers and to recommend promotional strategy

Objectives

To study psychographic and demographic of the farmers To study preferences and attitudes of farmers about bio fertilizers To recommend promotional strategies for increased sadoption of bio fertilizers

2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

2.1 Research Design The research will be carried out using quantitative technique. Face-to-face interviews will be conducted to collect data with the help of structured questionnaires. 2.2 Information Required Information regarding various company of bio fertilizers, benefits, uses and types fertilizers different promotional tools will be required for the study 2.3 Data Source of bio

Data for study would be taken from secondary as well as primary sources. 2.3.1 Secondary data Data would collected from internet, books 2.3.2 Primary data Primary data will be collected from personal contact with farmers . 2.4 Area of Study This study will be conducted in kumaon region of uttarakhand 2.5 Sampling Frame The sampling frame comprised of farmers who use fertilizers 3.5.2 Sampling unit 50 farmers 3.5.3 Sample Size 50 farmers. 3.5.4 Sampling Technique Purposive sampling technique will be used for sample selection. 3.6 Research Instrument Questionnaire containing both open ended and closed ended questions would be used as main research instrument. The questionnaire will be structured in such a way that it will contain all the questions which will help in getting the objectives of study fulfilled 3.7 Analysis of Data the study would be concentrated on Kumaon region of Uttrakhand for collection of primary data. 3.8 Duration of Study The period of study will be from 25th Mar to 10th May, 2012

References

C.R. Kothari (2004), Research Methodology agritech.tnau.ac.in/org_farm/orgfarm_biofertilizertechnology.htm (15/02/2012) edugreen.teri.res.in/explore/bio/ferti.htm (16/02/2012) reviews.ebay.com/6-Steps-to-a-Successful-Promotion (20/02/2012)