Agro-service Providers and Farmers of Gujarat State: Study on Role Perception and Role Performance

The government considered the presence of private service providers and their role in agriculture. Agro service provider can be said as an agency which provides his service with various inputs to the farmers at their places, at right time, in sufficient quantity with affordable prices and quality. Agro service providers play an important role in varied aspects of plant protection. At field level, when the farmers perceive any problem they are normally approaching agro-service providers to overcome their problems. It is observed that the presence of agro-service providers have influenced the decision making process of farmers. However, the extension personnel at different levels are helping the farmers but their lack of coverage often compel the farmers to consult with agro-service providers. Basically, they are easily available that?s why they are playing a major role indirectly in rural areas. Along with the public sector extension machinery, resourceful environment, non-government organizations, private agencies and well developed co-operative structures have been found to be major factors for the development of the above enterprises.