Published on November 2012 | Agriculture

PERCEPTION OF VEGETABLE GROWERS TOWARDS TOMATO PRODUCTION IN DODA DISTRICT OF JAMMU & KASHMIR-INDIA

Background: Tomatoes are very important ingredients of our food or diet system. In India tomato occupies second position amongst the vegetable crops in terms of production next to potato. India ranks 3rd tomato producing country in the world in 2010, accounting for 8.22 percent of total world’s tomato production. Aims and Objective:This study assessed the perception of vegetable growers towards tomato production in Doda district of Jammu & Kashmir. Material and Methods: Out of total 8 blocks in the district we have selected two blocks-Assar and Marmat because tomato production is mostly confined in these blocks. The target population of this study consists of tomato growers of the two blocks and a structured questionnaire was administered to 120 respondents (20 farmers from each village) in the study area. Data collected were analysed using frequencies, percentages and chi-square analysis. Results: Results showed that majority of the respondents (83.33%) used HYV seeds. About 13 percent of the farmers had no formal education and only 56.67 percent of the farmers had secondary education. Also, most of the respondents (58.33%) perceived that tomato production was not profitable. The result shows that factors like land owned, educational level, and sources of labour affect the level of satisfaction of the tomato growers.