Assessment of Farmers’ and Office Bearers’ Satisfaction with Custom Hiring Centres in Haryana

Description

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19553387

Rohit¹, Krishan Yadav², Sandeep Bhakar³, Komal Sharma⁴, and Sahil Boora⁵ (Department of Agricultural Extension Education, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana^1,2,3,4, and
Department of Sociology, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana⁵)

The study was conducted in 2024 to assess the satisfaction level of farmers and office bearers regarding Custom Hiring Centres in Haryana. A total of 200 respondents (120 farmers & 80 office bearers) from four purposively selected districts, namely Kaithal, Jind, Fatehabad and Sirsa, were chosen to collect data. Simple random sampling was employed in the selection of blocks, custom hiring centres and respondents. The satisfaction level is analyzed using the Total Weighted Score (TWS) and Weighted Mean Score (WMS), while the relationship between variables is examined using correlation and multiple regression analyses. The findings reveal that farmers express the highest satisfaction with the convenience of hiring machinery without ownership (WMS = 2.67) and with the machinery rental procedure (WMS = 2.66). However, lower satisfaction is observed with respect to technical guidance and maintenance services. Among office bearers, the overall financial stability of the business (WMS = 1.62) ranks highest, whereas government financial support (WMS = 0.85) ranks lowest. Extension contacts, mass media exposure, participation in extension activities, economic motivation, farm power availability, and scientific orientation are significantly positively related to satisfaction levels. The regression model explains 59.7% of the variation among farmers and 62.3% among office bearers. The study highlights the importance of strengthening technical support, training, and institutional assistance to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of Custom Hiring Centres.