Constraint Faced by Sorghum Grower in Ajmer district of Rajasthan

(https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21790450)

Abstract

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is an important cereal crop belonging to the family Poaceae and is recognized as the fifth most important cereal crop globally after maize, rice, wheat, and barley. The present study was conducted to identify and prioritize the major constraints faced by sorghum growers in Ajmer district of Rajasthan. Primary data were collected from 80 randomly selected sorghum farmers through a pre-tested interview schedule. The Garrett Ranking Technique was employed to analyse and rank the constraints under four categories, namely technical, input, marketing, and miscellaneous constraints. The findings revealed that among the technical constraints, lack of availability of high-yielding variety (HYV) seed emerged as the most severe constraint (Garrett score: 71.45), followed by lack of knowledge about chemical weed control (67.10) and poor knowledge of recommended fertilizer dose (61.14). Regarding input constraints, high cost of labour ranked first (71.65), followed by unavailability of HYV seed at sowing time (63.20) and small landholding size (54.54). Among marketing constraints, lack of knowledge of market information/intelligence was identified as the most important constraint (71.26), followed by high transportation cost (64.13) and lack of storage facilities (54.33). In the miscellaneous category, attack of wild animals (Nilgai) was the most serious constraint (64.66), followed by insect-pest and disease incidence (60.50). The study concludes that inadequate availability of quality seed, high labour costs, poor access to market information, and crop damage by wild animals are the major factors limiting sorghum production and profitability in the study area. The findings suggest the need for timely supply of quality seed, strengthening of extension services, dissemination of improved production technologies, improved market intelligence systems, development of storage and transportation infrastructure, and effective measures for controlling wild animal damage to enhance sorghum productivity and farmers' income.