PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED BY THE FARMERS IN THENI DISTRICT

Abstract

Agriculture is the only sector holding unskilled and semiskilled workers till now. It provides employment opportunity to more than 50 percent of India’s total population and meets the ever growing demand for food grains to the population. It also provides fodder to cattle and plays an important role in India’s export. Tamil Nadu is the largest producer of pulses, rice and millets. It also received Krishi Karma Award in 2014 for producing rice largely. It contributes about 17 percent to the nation as GDP. Though it is an important sector in India, this sector is facing series of problems continuously. Monsoon, natural calamities, shortage of rainfall, cost of production, delay in fixing and announcing support prices, lack of storage and ware housing facility and the like. In addition to them, Agricultural Policies introduced in India and globalizations have also created lot of problems to them.  They face problems in the form of application of HYV seeds, usage of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and irrigation facility. So farmers have to carry out their activities in the midst of all such kind s of natural and situational problems. So the authors have made an attempt to analyze the problems of farmers and its impact on them using ANOVA and attitude index. Though agriculture sector holds marginal, small, medium and large farmers, as per the agriculture census, marginal and small farmers form more than 70 percent in the total farming community. So, marginal and small farmers are facing lot of problems while comparing with medium and large farmers.