ROLE OF PRIVATE SECTOR IN INTRODUCING EFFECTIVE SUGARCANE PROTECTION AND PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES

Abstract

The main purpose of the study was to investigate role of sugar mills in introducing improved production and protection methods for increasing sugarcane yield. Sugarcane farmers and Extension Field Staffs (EFS) in Pakistan are performing laborious jobs but the ultimate production of sugarcane crop is quite low as compared to neighboring countries. The main constraint associated with it is lack of technical competencies in the field of agriculture on the part of farming community and EFS of public and private sectors. There is a dire need to equip them with latest technological advancements in order to cope with changing demand of the country. The operational area of Hussein Sugar Mills (HSM) was selected which consisted of 200 villages. Out of which 4 villages namely chak 53, 54, 55 and 61 were selected randomly. From each village 30 respondents were selected through convenient sampling method. Hence, a total sample of 120 respondents was selected from the related section area of the sugar mill. The data were collected with the help of pre-tested and validated interview schedule. It was concluded that HSM must increase its area of operation as sugarcane growers mostly followed the instructions of EFS of HSM.