Profile characteristics of beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme

The present study was conducted in Ratnagiri district of Konkan region of Maharashtra to analyze the socio-economic profile characteristics of PMFME beneficiaries. Data was collected from sample size of 60 PMFME beneficiaries from two tahsils Khed and Dapoli in Ratnagiri district. The study indicated that a majority of the beneficiaries belonged to the middle age group (68.33%), most had higher secondary to graduate-level education (56.66%), medium category of annual incomes (58.34%), lived in medium-sized families (61.67%), and most of the beneficiaries came from a business background (53.33%), and had marginal land holding (50.00%), majority of beneficiaries received one training (78.33%) and most reported an optimum level of resource availability (70.00%) While maximum number of the beneficiaries exhibited a medium level of market orientation (48.33%), had a medium level of use of social media (60.00%) and majority (46.66%) had medium level of experience in enterprise.The study concludes that PMFME beneficiaries represent a group with moderate socio-economic status, entrepreneurial potential, and access to resources. Strengthening skill-based training, enhancing market linkages, and promoting digital literacy are essential to further improve their enterprise sustainability and livelihood security.