OPINION OF TOBACCO FARMERS TOWARDS ALTERNATIVE AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISES TO REPLACE TOBACCO CULTIVATION IN MEHERPUR DISTRICT

Abstract

The objectives of the study were (i) to determine and describe some selected characteristics of the tobacco farmers. The selected characteristics were - age, education, farm size, annual income, agricultural knowledge, organizational participation, cosmopoliteness, innovativeness, extension contact and tobacco cultivation experience, (ii) To assess opinion of the tobacco farmers towards alternative agricultural enterprises to replace tobacco cultivation and (iii) to explore relationship between the selected characteristics of the tobacco farmers and their opinion to the alternative agricultural enterprises to replace tobacco cultivation. The study was conducted at four villages of Gangni upazila under Meherpur district. About ten percent of the farm families were randomly selected from a population of 996 tobacco farmers. Out of the total population 101 tobacco farmers were selected as the sample of the study. Data were collected from the farmers through using a pre-tested structured interview schedule from 14 September to 30 September, 2014. Pearson's product moment correlation co-efficient were used to test relationship between the dependent and independent variables. It was revealed that majority (50.5 percent) of the tobacco farmers opined for alternative enterprises as moderately suitable, 30.7 percent highly suitable and 18.8 percent less suitable in respect of timeliness and scope of application. Correlation analysis indicated that characteristics of the tobacco farmers such as age, education, agricultural knowledge, organization participation cosmopoliteness, extension contact, tobacco cultivation experience had significant relationship with their opinion towards the alternative agricultural enterprises to replace tobacco cultivation. However, farm size, annual income and innovativeness of the tobacco farmers had no relationship with their opinion towards the alternative agricultural enterprises to replace tobacco cultivation.