SUMMER INTERNSHIP

PROJECT REPORT

On

STUDY ON SOYBEAN HERBICIDE SEGMENT IN

MAHARASHTRA AND UNDERSTAND THE

FARMERS PREFERENCES TOWARDS PRE AND

POST EMERGENCE HERBICIDES.

Prepared by Bhupesh Bhatt

For

Period of internship: 8th June 2015- 7th Aug 2015

Area of study: Amravati, Akola, Yavatmal and Washim districts of Maharashtra

2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SERIAL

NO. CONTENTS PAGE NO.

Acknowledgement i

Certificate ii

Executive Summary iii-iv

1 Introduction 1

1.1 Indian Agrochemical Industry 2

1.2 Herbicide market in India 3

1.3 Problem Statement 3

1.4 Objective of the Study 3

1.5 Limitations of the Study 4

2 Research design and methods 4

2.1 Research Design 4

2.2 Sources of data 4

2.3 Population and study sample 5

2.4 Analytical tools 7

2.5 Duration of study 7

3 Results and discussions 8-14

4 Major problems a pre-emergent can face 15

5 Advantages of pre-emergent over post emergent 15

6 Recommendations 16

7 Conclusion 19

8 References 20

9 Appendices 21

i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I have taken efforts in this project. However, it would not have been possible without the kind

support and help of many individuals and organizations. I would like to extend my sincere thanks

to all of them.

I am highly indebted to DOW AGROSCIENCES INDIA PVT. LTD. for their guidance and

constant supervision as well as for providing necessary information regarding the project & also

for their support in completing the project.

I would like to express my gratitude to Mr. SUNIL SINGH for providing me the opportunity to

work with DOW AGROSCIENCES INDIA PVT. LTD. and Mr. LEELADHAR TELGU, the

project guide for his guidance and support provided by him throughout the completion of the

project which has helped me in successfully completing this project.

My thanks and appreciations also go to my college specially Dr. B. KUMAR (Dean, College of

Agribusiness Management) and Prof. MUKESH PANDEY, College Placement Incharge who

provided me the opportunity for this Summer Project work.

My work remains indebted to all those enterprising people I met during field visit, and specially

the farmers who took out their valuable time to interact and share their experiences with me which

were helpful in collection of data.

Lastly, words cannot express my gratitude towards my parents whose blessings and continuous

encouragement motivated me and give courage to do this project independently.

ii

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Mr. BHUPESH BHATT student of College of Agribusiness Management,

Pantnagar has successfully completed summer internship titled “STUDY ON SOYBEAN

HERBICIDE SEGMENT IN MAHARASHTRA AND UNDERSTAND THE FARMERS

PREFERENCES TOWARDS PRE AND POST EMERGENCE HERBICIDES” from 8th

June, 2015 to 7th August, 2015. We found him sincere, hardworking and technically sound and

result oriented. He worked well as part of a team during his tenure.

We take this opportunity to thank him and wish him all the best for his future.

Name:

Designation:

Place:

Date:

iii

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Agriculture plays a vital role in the Indian economy. Over 70 per cent of the rural households

depend on agriculture as their principal means of livelihood. Agriculture, along with fisheries and

forestry, accounts for one-third of the nation’s GDP and is its single largest contributor.

Agrochemical industry played an important role in the overall agricultural growth and

productivity in India. Weeds are responsible for almost 33% (Diseases- 26%, Insects-26%,

Rodents and others – 15%) loss in final production but contribute only 23% of the total crop

protection (Insecticides-51%, Fungicides-20% and Others-6%) in India. Globally, herbicides

represent the largest group within agrochemicals (44%). Chemical weed control is slowly

becoming one of the most important and reliable measures in weed management systems in

India. There are generally two segments of herbicides present in the market, namely:

Pre-emergent herbicides and

Post-emergent herbicide

A new pre-emergent herbicide is introduced in the market by DOW Agro science i.e.

STRONGARM, chemically-Diclosulam 84% WDG for soybean crop targeting the largest

soybean producing states like Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

To check the acceptability in market a study was conducted under the topic “study on soybean

herbicide segment in Maharashtra and understand the farmers’ preferences towards pre

and post emergence herbicides”.

To achieve this a survey was conducted in 4 districts of Maharashtra among farmers. Almost all

the soybean farmers consider weeds as one of the major contributor to the loss in field after

irrigation. Application of herbicides and bullock drawn hoeing were the most preferred practices

by farmers for weed control. Degree of chemical usage has increased d u e t o

u n a v a i l a b i l i t y o f f a r m l a b o u r , q u i c k r e s u l t a n d e f f e c t i v e n e s s o f t h e

h e r b i c i d e s . M a n y e x i s t i n g h e r b i c i d e s a r e c a p a b l e o f c o n t r o l l i n g w e e d s

b u t n o t s a t i s f y i n g f a r m e r ’ s r e q u i r e m e n t s c o m p l e t e l y . P u r s u i t a n d

o d y s s e y ( B A S F ) were the most popular molecule in post emergent herbicide segment. There

was no pre-emergent herbicide molecule known to the farmers for soybean. 78% of the farmers

iv

were unaware about the pre-emergent segment and the remaining 22% they had many questions

about the pre-emergent herbicides. Also, the farmers were not aware about the DOW

AGROSCIENCE INDIA PVT LTD and any of its products.

Hence the first step should be to create a brand image in the minds of the farmers using appropriate

promotional strategies rather than hard selling. Local retailers (73%) and fellow farmers (9%) i.e.

word of mouth were reported to be the major influencing factor for herbicide selection by the

farmers.

Therefore it was important to design appropriate strategy both for the farmers to create brand in

the mind of the farmers and for the retailers to push the product. This can be achieved by

i. Motivating the retailers through trade contests, trade discounts, appreciation letters,

gifts and holiday packages,

ii. Creating the brand image in the minds of farmers- winning their trust by providing

solutions to the agriculture related problems of the farmers, field demonstration, jeep

campaigns, posters and pamphlets

iii. Making the product available at each and every corner so that farmers have a choice to

select.

Strongarm have many advantages over the post emergent molecules and the farmers

(98%) are willing to change from the current practice to new. Hence appropriate

promotion and brand building strategies should be adopted next year.

1

1. INTRODUCTION

The Indian agricultural sector has evolved through various phases since independence. From

a food deficit and stagnant sector at the time of independence, it has reached the stage of being

a surplus food sector satisfying the domestic as well as foreign demand. The technological

and institutional policy initiatives of the government during 1960s stimulated growth of this

sector and it has made considerable progress since then. The food grains production which

was 50 million tonnes in 1950-51 reached a level of 196.81 million tonnes in 2000-01. As per

the recent estimates, 267.4 million tonnes of food grains were produced in 2014. India is now

one of the top performers as far as production of some commodities such as wheat and rice

are concerned. This was possible due to the technological breakthrough achieved in case of

rice and wheat. The usage of new high yielding varieties (HYVs) of these crops lead to

remarkable increase in yield of these crops making the country self-sufficient in food grains.

With the success of these crops, the government started looking for such varieties of other

crops also. Oilseeds was one such crop, demand for which outpaced the supply and India had

to import edible oil. The technology mission on oilseeds (TMO) was launched in 1986 with

the objective of increasing production of oilseeds. As a result of this, the oilseeds production

increased gradually. It was observed that after the launch TMO and during 1986-87 until

1996-97, oilseeds production performed much better than the cereals. The area under oilseeds

grew rapidly. This particular phenomenon was called ‘yellow revolution’ wherein the crop

pattern showed changes - area under coarse cereals got replaced by oilseeds and pulses (Gulati

and Kelly, 1999). Today India contributes around 8 percent to the world production of oilseeds

Increasing area and production of the oilseeds indicates increasing importance of oilseeds i.e.

the oils – in the consumption basket of the population.

The gap between demand and production of edible oil in India has increased sharply in recent

years. Since 2000-01, production of oilseeds grew at the rate of 4.7 percent per annum, but

edible oil consumption increased at the rate of 6.5 percent per annum (http://www.business-

standard.com/article/press-releases/, February 20, 2013).

Our demand for edible oils is mainly satisfied by palm oil, soybean oil and mustard oil. As

mentioned earlier, with the technological breakthrough in wheat and rice, attention was

focused on other crops and soybean was one such oilseed crop. New varieties of soybean were

introduced for commercial usage in India in 1970s. There was a marked increase in the area

2

as well as production of this crop. Today soybean or the ‘miracle bean’ has come to occupy

an important position as a global crop. Popularly known as an oilseed crop rather than a

legume, the world area under cultivation of this crop is growing continuously.

The major players in the world production viz. the U.S.A., Argentina, Brazil and China

produce around 85 percent of the world soybean production. India occupies fifth position

after China in this regard. Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra are the two major soybean

producing states and currently contribute more than 80 percent to the total area and production

of soybean in India. It is seen that Madhya Pradesh, the highest producing state contributes

more than 60 percent to the total area under and production of soybean. It is followed by

Maharashtra which occupies around one third area under soybean and contributes 33 percent

to the total soybean production. It can be noted that the per hectare yield in case of

Maharashtra is higher than that in Madhya Pradesh. As mentioned above soybean is a very

sturdy, short duration and profitable crop.

There are various problems faced by the farmers in soybean farming. The major problems in

soybean farming is the poor irrigation facility, Maharashtra being rain fed area most of the

farmers depends upon monsoon for irrigation.

Beside this weeds are yet another agents which have resulted in huge losses in the yield and

quality of bean produced. For controlling weeds the farmers are usually using herbicides, this

study attempts to analyse the status of soybean cultivation in Maharashtra and studies the

soybean herbicide segment in the state and understand the farmers preferences towards pre

and post emergence herbicides.

Chemical weed control is slowly becoming one of the most important and reliable measures

in weed management systems in India. There are generally two segments of herbicides present in

the market, namely:

Pre-emergent herbicides and

Post-emergent herbicide

For soybean the market is dominated by post emergent herbicide.

1.1 Indian Agrochemical Industry

India is the fourth largest producer of agrochemicals globally, after United States, Japan and China.

The agrochemicals industry is a significant industry for the Indian economy. The Indian

3

agrochemicals market grew at a rate of 12% p.a. from USD 3.8 billion in FY 2012 to an estimated

USD 6.8 billion in FY 2017 where the use of imported crop protection chemicals has increased @

16% pa. India’s agrochemicals consumption is one of the lowest in the world with per hectare

consumption of just 0.58 Kg compared to US (4.5 Kg/ha) and Japan (11 Kg/ha).

1.2 Herbicide Market in India:

Globally, herbicides represent the largest group within agrochemicals (44%) whereas in India

it accounts only 23% of the total market share while the losses caused by weeds accounts for

33% of the total losses. Chemical weed control is slowly becoming one of the most important

and reliable measures in weed management systems in India. The CAGR for herbicide demand

for the year 2013 was at 18%.

1.3 Problem statement:

DOW Agro sciences is a well-known company in field of chemicals. It has a wide range of

products among pesticides with wide range of products for paddy wheat and maize. It has recently

launched a new herbicide for soybean one of new kind in this segment (pre-emergent). The market

is dominated by the post emergent herbicides for soybean. There is no major market share of pre

emergence herbicides in Maharashtra and the awareness among the farmers is too low about the

pre-emergent segment hence it was a challenge for DOW AGRO SCIENCE to create a brand

image among the farmers and win their trust and push their product.

1.4 Objectives to study:

1. To study the demographic and behavioral segment of farmers for herbicides use pattern in

soybean in Amravati, Akola, Yavatmal and Washim districts of Maharashtra.

2. To study the inter-cultural operations performed by the farmers in soybean cultivation in

Amravati, Akola, Yavatmal and Washim districts of Maharashtra.

3. To study farmer’s insight related to pre and post emergence herbicides in Amravati, Akola,

Yavatmal and Washim districts of Maharashtra.

4. To suggest proper strategy for promotion of pre-emergence herbicides in Amravati, Akola,

Yavatmal and Washim districts of Maharashtra.

4

1.5 Limitations of study:

In my summer project I have found some limitations, which are as follows -

Language Barrier as the area given was Marathi speaking and farmers were not ready to

answer in Hindi.

Project duration for survey was short i.e. 35 days.

Information collected from farmers may not be 100% reliable as some farmers were

reluctant in sharing information and thus, may not give correct information.

Given all these constraints an effort was made to minimize all the biasness and limitation and make

this study more meaningful, objective and clear.

2. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Attempts were made to attain the objectives of the study by using following methodology:

2.1 Research Design: Descriptive and exploratory research design was followed for the study.

Research design will be descriptive as the research will include surveys and fact finding enquiries

of different kinds. With help of descriptive research, the existing situation of the SOYBEAN

herbicide market in the district will be evaluated.

2.2 Source of data

The study has both secondary as well as primary data. The secondary data has been used for

understanding district wise status of soybean cultivation in terms of area, production and yield for

selecting the area for recording responses.

Primary data collected from survey conducted has been used to understand the current practices

of the farmers and to design appropriate strategies for promotion.

2.2.1 Primary data of source:

Questionnaire was developed to get relevant data from the respondents (farmers). Data collection

was done through in-depth personal interview with the respondent.

2.2.2 Secondary source of data: Secondary data was gathered from the local retailers and various

agriculture related websites, ministry of agriculture, ministry of state agriculture, etc. Apart from

this, previous studies, company literature were used to gather recent data.

5

2.3 Population and Study Sample

Coverage and Sampling Design

It was decided to select major soybean producing divisions that occupy at least 10 percent of the

total state soybean area. The selection of districts was to be based on acreage and yield as per the

following classification (see table 1):

Table 1: Criterion for Selection of Sample Districts

Area Yield

High Low

High High area - High yield (HH) High area – Low yield (HL)

Low Low area – High yield (LH) Low area – Low yield (LL)

Since HH HL and LH divisions are major soybean grower; we will find the more users of

herbicides in these areas.

Hence, analysis of the data relating to area under soybean revealed that HH HL and LH districts

could be easily located. Based on report of The Soybean Processors Association of India for 2014

for Maharashtra the districts were ranked as per area under cultivation and yield.

Table: 2 Top four soybean producing districts in Maharashtra

Area in Lakh Ha. , Yield in Kg per Ha. , Production in Lakh MT.

The top four district were selected for study.

District Area Yield Production

Amravati 3.2 805 2.576

Yavatmal 3.017 815 2.459

Washim 2.96 875 2.594

Akola 2.331 700 1.632

Total 11.508 798.6 9.261

6

Exihibit.1: MAP OF MAHARASHTRA

Sample Size and Selection of Sample

Selection of Talukas: The four districts were further divided into Talukas and the Taluka with

higher productivity and higher utilisation of herbicides was selected after consulting with the local

retailers of agricultural inputs. Each selected taluka was considered as a cluster and the villages in

the taluka were selected randomly based on their size after consulting with local retailers and

people.

Selection of respondents:

• Average land holding in four districts = 2.5 ha

Hence, farmers were divided into two category

I. >2.5 ha

II. <2.5 ha

• 2-3 farmers from each category were interviewed randomly in each village under survey.

Total responses recorded 300 (see table 3).

7

Table 3: Sampling design.

District Taluka Villages No. of Respondents

Akola 6 33 80

Amravati 6 32 75

Yavatmal 7 28 65

Washim 7 35 80

Total 26 128 300

Note:

Sampling was done in a stratified, purposive and convenient manner.

A well planned sampling questionnaire was devised to ensure proportional representation

of all the heterogeneous units and minimum sampling error.

2.4 Analytical Tools: All the data collected was through the structured questionnaire, interviews

and focused individual discussion represented in tabular form and has been analysed with help of

various graphical methods. Analytical tools like percentages, averages, etc. was used for analysis

of the data.

2.5 Duration of Study: The project was conducted from 8th June 2015 to 7th august, 2015. Time

allotted for survey was 35 days.

8

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

The total area under cultivation of Soybean in Maharashtra is 38.008 lakh ha. The yield per ha is

808 kg and production was 30.721 lakh MT. The four district were selected on the basis of % share

in soybean production.

1. CROPPING PATTERN: based on the data

analysed it was found that 90% of the farmers

from the sample were practising intercropping in

soybean. The only intercrop was pigeon pea

(arhar/toor). For individual district it was:

i. Akola : Monocropping: 5%

Intercropping: 95%

ii. Amravati: Monocropping: 19%

Intercropping: 81%

iii. Yavatmal: Monocropping: 10%

Intercropping: 90%

iv. Washim : Monocropping: 8%

Intercropping: 92%

2. SOURCE OF IRRIGATION : the region being

rain fed area 71% of the sample farmers depend

on monsoon for irrigation while 26% of the

farmers had installed sprinkler (well ) system for

irrigation (this category majorly constitute

farmers above average land holding). While 3%

farmers in the village Vani and Kotha

(Yavatmal- Babulgaon) used water for irrigation

from canal (but government did not release water timely).

Hence it was observed most of the farmers depends on rain for irrigation and there activities

are scheduled as per the availability of rain water e.g. Spraying of herbicide is taking place

only after it rains.

90%

10%

CROPPING PATTERN

INTERCROPPING

MONOCROPPING

3%26%

0%71%

SOURCE OF IRRIGATION

CANNEL WELL(SPRINKLER)

POND/LAKE MONSOON

9

3. METHOD OF PLOUGHING:

Based on the data collected it was found that 73%

of the farmers are using tractor for ploughing the

land for sowing while 27% farmers are still using

bullock cart for preparing land for sowing. The

27% of farmers using bullock cart for ploughing

belongs to mainly Amravati and Yavatmal districts

(refer database attached appendix: 2)

4. FARMERS SEED BUYING BEHAVIOUR:

Only 5% of the total farmers surveyed had used

their own seeds in the last two years (purchase

seeds every 3 – 4 years) while 95% of the

farmers purchase seeds from Krishi Sewa

Kendra i.e. from the local retailer in the nearby

market.

5. MAJOR PROBLEM FACED BY THE FARMER IN SOYBEAN FARMING:

based on the results of

survey majority of farmers

(142) considered irrigation

as the major problem faced

by them in soybean farming

while 113 farmers

considered weeds as the

same ( this 113 farmers

belong to the category of

farmers having well

established irrigation system and above the average land holding.

73%

27%

METHOD OF PLOUGHING

TRACTOR BULLOCK CART

LOCAL RETAILERS 95%

USE OWN SEEDS 5%

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

FARMERS SEED BUYING

BEHAVIOUR

113

142

150

144124

0 20

50

100

150

200

WEEDS IRRIGATION DISEASE OTHERS

No

of

farm

ers

M A J O R P R O B L E M F A C E D B Y T H E

F A R M E R I N S O Y B E A N F A R M I N G

RANK 1 RANK 2

10

6. MAJOR WEEDS FOUND IN SOYBEAN CROP:

Following are the major problematic weeds, sedges and grasses in the field of soybean:

Parthenium hysterophorus (gajar gawat) – 100%

Cyanotis axillaris (ichaka) - 94%

Euphorbia heterophylla (dudhi) - 94%

Commenila sp. (kena) - 88.8% Malachra capitata (raan bhendi) - 79.2%

Amaranthus sp. (Kante math) - 75.55%

Echinochloa colona (lal daandi) - 86.7% Cyperus rotundus (lahali)- 89.3%

Cynodon dactylon (harali)- 100%

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These are the most prevalent weeds found in the soybean crops. Parthenium and cynodon

dactylon were found in the farms of 100 % farmers (weeds greater than 50 % responses are

here considered.

7. METHOD OF CONTROLLING WEEDS

98% of the farmers are using herbicides for

controlling these weeds while only 2% are

manually pulling the weeds (hand weeding and

hoeing equipment (khurpee).

Besides these 100% of the farmers are

performing intercultural hoeing 25- 30 DAS

with bullock driven equipment (Dore).

8. % HERBICIDE MOLUCULE USED BY

THE FARMERS IN THE YEAR 2014

The herbicide market is totally dominated by post emergent herbicides segment of BASF

molecule (pursuit and odyssey).

88% of the farmers had used these

2 molecules and are willing to use

it this year also. Other herbicide

include Roundup, Adieu

turgasupper, whipsupper, etc.

which are being used by 9% of the

farmers. Farmers were spending

Rs. 900-1000 per ac for

controlling weeds including the

labour charges and other expenses.

2%

98%

METHOD OF CONTROLLING

WEEDS

HAND WEEDING USE OF HERBICIDES

HOEING/EQUIPMENTS OTHERS

31%

57%

3%9%

% HERBICIDE MOLUCULE USED BY THE

FARMERS IN THE YEAR 2014

ODESSY

PURSUIT

WEEDBLOCK

OTHERS

12

9. DEFICIENCY ASSOCIATED WITH THE PRODUCT

The major problem faced by the farmers was due to the dependence on rain. They were not

able to apply herbicides to the field due to lack of moisture in the soil which is required for

effectiveness of the herbicides. This is

the major advantage that a pre-

emergent herbicide has over the post

emergent herbicide. The soybean

farmers usually perform sowing on the

arrival of monsoon. Hence the

requirement of moisture content in the

soil is appropriate for the herbicide to

work. The efficacy of the product i.e.

mainly pursuit and odyssey is

decreasing over the years.

Few farmers (1%) reported that the pursuit is not effective on Cyperus rotundus (lahali).

10. DESIRED FEATURES IN A HERBICIDE

The farmers were asked to rank up to 3 (Rank 1, Rank 2 and Rank 3) the features that they

want in a particular herbicide

Out of 6 choices:

i. CROP SAFETY

ii. ECONOMIC IN USE

iii. SPECTRUM OF WEED CONTROL

iv. DURATION

v. RESPONSE TIME

vi. OTHERS

Other feature include ease in application, residual effect on succeeding crops.

23%

1%

76%

DEFICIENCY ASSOCIATED WITH THE

PRODUCT

Not effective control

Efficacy decreasing over the years

Not effective on any particular weed (s)

Becoming uneconomic

Cannot apply if there is no Rain

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The responses recorded were as per the following plot:

For drawing conclusion weighted average method was used, for feature ranked 1 3 weights,

2 to rank 2 and 1 to rank 3 were given and the averages were calculated.

WEIGHTED AVERAGE

DESIRED FEATURE Rank 1*3 Rank 2 *2 Rank 3*1 Average

Crop safety 30 24 24 71.33

Economic in use 372 88 48 18.67

Spectrum of weed control 228 356 45 45

Duration - days it controls weeds 93 10 32 209.67

Quick result- response time 0 0 56 169.33

Others 87 62 65 26

10

124

76

31

0

29

12

44

178

5

0

31

24

48

45

32

56

65

OTHERS

QUICK RESULT- RESPONSE TIME

DURATION - DAYS IT CONTROLS

WEEDS

SPECTRUM OF WEED CONTROL

ECONOMIC IN USE

CROP SAFETY

NO. OF FARMERS

DESIRED FEATURES IN A HERBICIDE

RANK 3 RANK 2 RANK 1

14

Hence from the calculated data

the top 3 features desired by the

farmers are:

Rank 1: the duration – no of days

it controls the weeds (39%).

Rank 2: quick results- time taken

to control the weeds (31%).

Rank 3: crop safety (11%).

These three main features of the

molecule can be used for

promoting the molecule in the

market. The fact that pre-emergent herbicide provides weed protection from the first day

of sowing till 30 days or 45 days can be used to attract the farmers.

11. FACTORS INFLUENCING THE PURCHASE OF HERBICIDE:

73% of the farmers purchase a particular

herbicide on the advice of the retailer

from where they are purchasing. Also

the farmers are purchasing the herbicide

from a fixed retailer. 9% of the farmers

are influenced by their peer group and

purchase herbicide after discussing

among themselves while another 8% of

the farmers purchase on their own

experience 6% farmers said other factor

influenced them e.g. cost of the

herbicide, recommended by company people or by extension staff and remaining 4 % of

the farmers said they are market driven they purchase any new herbicide launched.

11%4%

8%

39%

31%

7%

WEIGHTED AVERAGE

CROP SAFETY

ECONOMIC IN USE

SPECTRUM OF WEEDCONTROL

DURATION - DAYS ITCONTROLS WEEDS

QUICK RESULT-RESPONSE TIME

OTHERS

RETAILERS

ADVICE

73%

PEER GROUP

INFLUENCE

9%

OWN

EXPERIENCE

8%

MARKET

DRIVEN

4%

OTHERS

6%

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE PURCHASE OF HERBICIDE

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4. MAJOR PROBLEMS A PRE EMERGENT CAN FACE:

Problem 1: Unawareness among the farmers about the pre- emergent herbicide segment

(only 22% of the farmers are aware about the pre-emergent herbicide segment. Out of these

majority of the farmers don’t know the name of any pre-emergent herbicide available the

market).

Also, most of the farmers are unaware about the Dow Agro science.

Problem 2: Challenge from the post emergent market (the herbicide market is totally

dominated by the post emergent herbicides and the lack of awareness among the farmers

in a combined way pose a great threat to the success of the pre-emergent herbicide).

Problem 3: Farmers have some major questions which needs to be answered

i. No of days it will not allow weeds to grow?

ii. Will the seeds of soybean come up?

iii. Has it any effect on the intercrop?

iv. Will it give protection against all weeds?

v. Will it be effective if it rains after 1 month or if does not rain for 1 month?

5. ADVANTAGES OF PRE EMERGENT OVER POST EMERGENT

HERBICIDES

i. Farmers are ready to use new products in the market if the questions are answered

satisfactorily.

ii. Readiness of farmers to shift from post emergent to pre-emergent molecule.

iii. Crop protection from day one – higher yield and productivity.

iv. Post emergent application depends on rain.

v. The farmers are paying Rs. 700-900 currently for herbicide. Strongarm being low

priced will attract the farmers.

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6. RECOMMENDATIONS:

To make a product as a successful brand it is very necessary to make sincere efforts for

creating demand generation. Following are some recommendations for the same purpose:

1. Motivate the dealers and retailers: since 73% of the farmers purchase herbicides on the

advice of the retailers it is important for the DAS to motivate the retailers to push their

product into the market. This can be achieved by:

• Push money: also known as "spiffs". An extra commission paid to retail employees

to push products.

• Trade discounts: These are payments to distribution channel members for pushing

the product.

• Trade contest: A contest to reward retailers that sell the most product

Rewards can be in the form of money, Appreciation letters, gifts and holiday

packages to the best retailers.

2. Make farmer aware- get into the minds of farmer

78% of the farmers are unaware about this segment of herbicide. Hence it is of prime

importance to create awareness among them and develop trust. Farmers purchase a

new product only when they believe by seeing it. This can be achieved by:

Field demonstration to farmers having more than average land holdings with irrigation

facilities.

The average land holding in four district = 7 ac and total area under cultivation 11 lakh ha

(28 lakh ac)

Approx. No of farmers =28/7lakh = 4 lakh farmers

Select 1 % of the farmers as sample unit (assume each farmer purchases 3-5 packets of

Strongarm)

I.e. around 4000 farmers

4000 x 3 =12000pkts x 508 = Rs. 60, 96,000 OR 4000 x 5=20000pkts x 508 = Rs. 1, 01,

60,000.

40 talukas and 400 villages to be covered.

Appoint field promoter (6-8 promoters for 3 months) = Rs.300000

17

Note: Cost of advertising is for a time period of 3 months (10% of the revenue

expected to be generated can be used for promotional strategies)

Posters in MSRTC buses, bus stations and at the entrance of the markets = Rs. 200000

On an average 5 farmers travel in each MSRTC buses (short routes e.g. Yavatmal to

Dhamangaon, Dhamangaon to Amravati, Akola to Washim, etc.). If posters are put up in

each buses say 100 then the total reach would be 500 farmers in one trip of the buses.

Build relationship with the farmers: the main objective in the initial stages of the product

should not be hard selling but to create a brand image in the minds of farmers and win their

trust, since majority of the respondents (98%) are unaware about DOW AGROSCIENCE

and its products. Once the brand image is created it will be easier for the company to sell

its other product also.

This can be achieved by:

Jeep campaigns: branded MOBILE HELPLINE VEHICLES accompanied by an

AGRONOMIST whose job would be to provide help and solutions to the problems of the

farmers rather than selling product. This will help to promote DOW AGROSCIENCE and

develop trust among the farmers towards DOW AGROSCIENCE and provide toll free

numbers where farmers can call and get proper assistance. Based on observation it was

found that there was no extension programs from the government and the KVKs were

inactive in these areas.

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3. Make your product available

The main question asked by farmers was

“Market me h Kya? Kaha milega? Pamphlet h?”

To make a product available to the final consumer i.e. farmer a well-structured distribution network

is has to be followed. According to observation it was found that the product was not available at

all the places especially in Yavatmal and Amravati and there were no company representatives to

answer to the quarries of the farmers as well as the retailers. This hampers the trust of clients over

the company, indirectly.

There were no sources of information from where the farmers can obtain information. Moreover

there were few retailers who were selling Strongarm.

To achieve this

Make the product available with at least 5-7 retailers in each taluka (market cluster

depending upon the no of villages served by the retailer.

Note: For making a product to get sit in minds of consumers it is very necessary to position it

in a different way. For ‘strong arm ’ company should focus upon the key benefits of the

product, like it provides crop protection from day 1 of sowing, it reduces the crop weed

competition and unlike post emergent herbicides you don’t have to wait for the rain to come .

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7. CONCLUSION

• Target farmers – above average land holding (7ac) - potential users, interested and

intending to buy, enthusiastic and have positive attitude towards the pre-emergent

herbicide.

Also farmers don’t have strong loyalty towards any particular brand - prefer

effectiveness and quality over brand and cost.

• The time of application and mode of action of pre-emergent makes it better option for

farmers.

• Target the retailers -73 % of farmers purchase herbicide on the advice of local retailers.

• Educate them -75% of the farmers are unaware about pre-emergent herbicide.

• Make available -Make the product available at each and every nook and corner.

Lastly, the huge market and growing demand for herbicide (18 %) creates the most

suitable conditions for any herbicide company to sell their product

20

8. REFERENCES

i. SOPA, 2014 Soybean Processors Association (SOPA). Area & Production Estimates

of Soybean in India. Kharif (monsoon) 2014. Based on crop survey conducted by

SOPA.

www.sopa.org/crop%20report%202014.pdf retrieved on 09 June 2015

ii. NABARD Rural pulse Issue - I, Jan. - Feb. 2014, land holding pattern in India,

retrieved on 11 June 2015

www.nabard.org/Publication/Rural_Pulse_final142014.pdf

iii. KAGASHIN GLOBAL , Indian Agriculture_A_snapshot, MAY 2014

www.kagashin.com/IndianAgriculture_A_snapshot.pdf retrieved on 09 June 2015

iv. AERC, 2013, Problems and Prospects of Soybean Cultivation in Maharashtra,

www.gipe.ac.in/pdfs/aerc/Soyaben%20Project.pdf RETRIVED ON 09 June 2015

v. Indian village directory,

http://www.vlist.in/state/27.html

vi. www.icar.org

vii. www.mapsofindia.com

viii. www.farmer.gov.in

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9. APPENDICES

Appendix 1: Questionnaire

QUESTIONAIRE FOR FARMERS

1. General Information:

1. Village:______________________

2. Name:________________________

3. Phone No:_____________________

4. Block/Tehsil/Dist.:_____________

5. Education level of the respondent

i. Illiterate

ii. School up to 5 years (Class1-5)

iii. School up to 6-9 years (Class 6-9)

iv. SSC/HSC

v. Under Graduate

vi. Graduate/Post Graduate (General)

6. Occupation of the respondent

i. Farmer

ii. Farm labor

iii. Petty Trader (shop keeper)

iv. Others

7. Category of farmer:

A. Total land holding

i. Marginal (below 1ha)

ii. Small (1-2 ha)

iii. Semi small (2-4 ha)

iv. Medium (4-10 ha)

v. Large ( above 10 ha) Specific: _______(ac)

B. % of land under cultivation

a. Operational land:

b. Non-operational land:

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2. Crop dynamics:

1. Which cropping pattern you generally practice?

i. Mono- cropping

ii. Multiple-cropping

If, multiple cropping then

i. Inter cropping

ii. Crop rotation

2. What is the major source of irrigation in your area?

i. Cannel ii. Tube well/wells

iii. ponds/lake iv. Depends on monsoon

3. Method of ploughing the farm land for sowing soybean?

i. Bullock cart

ii. Tractor

iii. On rent (tractor)

4. What are the various crops you are cultivating in kharif season?

Crops Area under cultivation Follow up crop Intercrop

5. If soybean not mentioned above why don’t you cultivate it?

Reason:

1. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If yes, % of area used for soybean cultivation out of the total mentioned above: _______

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6. Major problems faced in cultivation of soybean?

7. Form where do you buy soybean seeds?

i. Local retailer

ii. Government agencies

iii. Use their own seeds

3. Weed dynamics:

1. What are the most common and noxious weeds found in your soybean fields?

(i) ____________________________________

(ii) ____________________________________

(iii) ____________________________________

(iv) ____________________________________

2. What are the practices you prefer for controlling weeds?

Method Rank

Hand weeding

Hoeing/equipment

Use of herbicides

Others

If other (Specify) __________________________

Problem Rank

Unavailability of quality seeds

Improper irrigation facility

Unavailability of fertilizers

Weeds

Insects/Pests

No Credit facility

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3. What is the cost of total weed management in your field?

Practice No of labor involved Cost involved

a) Hand weeding

b) Spraying

c) HW + Herbicides

d) Herbigation

4. Reasons for usage of that particular application?

Reason Rank

Ease of application

Quick results ( Time to control / response time )

Effectiveness - % of weeds controlled

Duration – For how many days it controls the weeds

Economic in use

Spectrum of weed control – BL, NL, Sedges

Brand loyalty

Others (Specify)

5. When do you apply herbicides to your field?

i. 0-2 days of sowing

ii. After weeds grow

6. Which molecules have you applied in in the last two years for controlling weeds in

soybean?

Name of the

molecule

2013 2014

Pre-emergence Post-emergence Pre-emergence Post-emergence

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7. What are the deficiencies associated with the preferred molecule?

Not effective control

Efficacy decreasing over the years

Not effective on any particular weed (s)

Becoming uneconomic

Others (please specify) ___________________.

8. Would you like to shift from presently using product to new improved soybean herbicide

i.e. pre emergence herbicide? Yes No

If NO, why?

Reason Rank

Expensive

Ineffective

Not available

No idea about pre-emergence herbicides

Other reasons

If others please specify: ________________________________________

9. Which are the listed factors influences purchase of herbicides?

Method/Ways Tick

Term of purchase(Cash/Credit)

Particular Company name/Brand preference

On the advice of shopkeeper

Product recommended by company People

Peer group influence

Opinion leader

On the basis of results of field demonstrations.

Recommended by Extension staff

Others Specify

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10. What are the desired features that should be present in a molecule/ while applying

herbicides what are the factors that concern you most?

Features Ranks

Ease of application

Quick results – time to control – response time

Effectiveness - % of weeds controlled

Duration – for how many days it controls the weeds

Spectrum of weed control – BL, NL, Sedges,

Economic in use/cost involved

Easy in terms of purchase

Effective on particular class of weeds

Crop safety

Residual effect on succeeding crop

11. What kind of promotional campaigns in your area for Herbicide products encourages you

to purchase those products?

If yes, Kind of Campaigns:

Jeep campaigns

Audio visual

Posters

Hoardings

Field demonstration

Any other

12. What is the average cost of production of soybean/ hectare? And the margin you get per

hectare?

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Appendix 2: Database of farmers of Akola. Washim, Yavatmal and Amravati.

DATA.xlsx

28

VETA

BHUPESH BHATT, author of this manuscript, was born on MAY 28th, 1992 in PITHORAGRAH,

Uttarakhand. He has completed his High School and Intermediate examinations from C.B.S.E. board

in 2008 and 2010 respectively. Further, he took admission in the College of Home Science at G.B.

Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, and obtained degree of

Bachelor of Science (home science) in June, 2014. Thereafter, he got selected in the College of

Agribusiness Management (CABM), G. B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar

through CMAT examination in 2014 for MBA– Agribusiness degree programme.

Permanent Address:

BHUPESH BHATT

S/O Mr. S. B. BHATT

HOUSE NO 139, RAJIV NAGAR (W)

BINDUKHATTA, LALKUAN

Dist. - Nainital (Uttarakhand)

Email: - bhupesh.bhatt104@gmail.com

Contact No. - +918057417145, +919410942412