Farmers’ Constraints in the Adoption of Custom Hiring Centres Services in Buxar District of Bihar, India

Abstract

The agricultural sector in India has experienced slower economic progress compared to the industrial and service sectors, leading to a widening income disparity between rural and urban areas. The study was administered to assess the level of constraints of farmers in the adoption of farm machinery in custom hiring centres in the Buxar district of Bihar. The well-structured schedule was prepared, and data concerning the status of custom hiring centres were solicited from 180 farmers during field and farm visits through personal interviews. All respondents were recruited randomly. The major constraints faced by the farmers in custom hiring of machines were - “Less number of government custom hiring centres compared to private custom hiring centres” having highest weighted mean score (WMS) of 2.36, followed by “Less extension link of rural farmers with KVKs” (2.34), “Lack of straw management machineries in custom hiring centres” (2.34) and constraint “Small and fragmented land holdings of farmers” (2.23). The findings prioritised the need to expand government CHCs, awareness programmes for the small and marginal farmers for promoting CHCs and integrating CHCs with Krishi Vigyan Kendra for enhancing sustainable agricultural mechanisation and farm productivity. The study demonstrates a strong correlation between farm size and the adoption of mechanised practices. Small and marginal farmers remain at a disadvantage, highlighting the need for targeted interventions such as subsidised machinery, better access to custom hiring centres, and tailored extension services.