A PILOT STUDY ON CHOICE OF PADDY PRICING MECHANISM AND ITS IMPACT ON PADDY FARMERS IN ASSAM

Owing to constantly changing entrepreneurial practices of today’s dynamic society, development in the field of agriculture and farming has become equally crucial since it forms the basis of any civilization. Therefore, this study aims to examine the impact of targeted awareness seminars on the confidence, entrepreneurial behaviour, pricing decisions and value-addition practices of small and marginal farmers. Districts of Nalbari, Dibrugarh and Lakhimpur of Assam, India have been thereby specified to be undertaken in the course of this study . Marginal, Small, and Semi-Medium/Medium farmers constitute the backbone of agriculture in the region but face persistent challenges such as low productivity, poor market access, and limited exposure to processing technologies and limits satisfactory results. This research explores how motivational and knowledge-based interventions can shift farmer behaviour. In view of this, data has been gathered from 342 farmers across Nalbari, Dibrugarh and Lakhimpur Districts which covers 30 villages through surveys, focus group discussions, and interviews. The study underscores the potential of low-cost, community-based strategies to enhance farmer livelihoods and provides implications for agricultural price policy and further rural development.