Entrepreneurial Behaviour of Dairy Farmers in North Karnataka

Abstract

In the present global competitive business and industrialization the entrepreneurs can play a greater role. Entrepreneurial activity has a direct bearing on country's socio-economic growth. It serves as a catalyst in the process of industrialization and economic development. Entrepreneurship is the central force of economic activity, which is required for the development of the country. The entrepreneurial qualities generate income; develop self confidence and source of achievement. The entrepreneurs are the key persons of any country for promoting economic growth and technological change. Dairy sector plays a multi faceted role in socio-economic development of rural households. Livestock rearing has significant positive impact on equity in terms of income and employment and poverty reduction in rural areas. Dairy is an important facet for agricultural growth and is also considered as a potential sector for export earnings. The National Commission on Agricultural has stressed the importance of dairy as a subsidiary industry to agriculture. The country has achieved the milk production of 102 M.T in the year 2007-08 and it will be 160-180 M.T. by 2021. India has the largest milk producer of milk in the world. Dairy enterprise not only provides a continuous income but also provide good employment opportunities to the rural poor. The present study was conducted to know the entrepreneurial behaviour of dairy farmers in Dharwad and Belgaum Districts of North Karnataka in 2006 with 100 dairy entrepreneurs. The important findings of the study were most of the trained dairy farmers were in medium to high entrepreneurial category, majority of dairy farmers possessed high level of entrepreneurial characteristics viz: self-confidence, achievement motivation, innovativeness, and risk-orientation. The characteristics like education, socio-economic status, time management, training received, perceived profitability, mass media and participation in extension educational activities were found to have a positive and significant relationship. It was recommended to provide better prices for milk and milk products, good infrastructure facilities, provision of timely veterinary facilities and conducting more number of training programmes in business management and provide a single window system for services for the improvement of diary entrepreneurs. More number of training centers has to be established for impacting vocational training programmes for dairy farmers for the development of entrepreneurial behavior.