Driving factors to become an agri-input dealer: Implications for institutionalising public-private partnership in extension service delivery

Agri-input dealership in India was traditionally confined to urban businessmen in the absence of any statute requiring necessary qualification or competency for many years. This led to several problems like unscrupulous recommendation of chemicals and fertilisers causing substantial financial loss to farmers on several occasions. In recent times, the agri-business is confined to either agriculture graduates or for those acquiring a degree or certificate course covering agriculture chemicals in its curriculum. To facilitate this, National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE) offers a one-year Diploma course-DAESI to educate the agri-input dealers and to impart basic agriculture knowledge to them. The present study conducted across 10 Indian states aims to know the driving factors behind entrepreneurial aspirations of the candidates enrolling and completing the DAESI programme under self-finance scheme where candidates bear all the expenses to complete the course and obtain the diploma. The study revealed that majority of graduates from the rural area showed interest to enrol for DAESI programme and to establish their own enterprises. As DAESI Diploma is a means to authorise them apply for agri-input business establishment, many also enrolled in the programme to continue their family business by validating their licence. Willingness to serve as para extension workers also emerged as an important motivating factor for the participants to enrol for DAESI programme suggesting a huge scope for convergence in delivering extension services to farmers on PPP mode.