Identification of major independent variables responsible for performance level of agricultural input retailers

With ever-increasing human population, there is an increasing demand to raise the production. Among the all measures to raise the productivity level, plant protection is playing a leading role. Specially in this field as well as for overall agricultural development in rural areas, the agricultural input retailers are playing an important role with their marketing environment and limitations. The present study was undertaken with the following objective- to identify the major independent variables affect on performance level of agricultural input retailers. The study was undertaken in the State of West Bengal. Multi-stage random sampling technique was adopted for the selection of area and the universe method was used for the selection of respondents. In the present study, 21 independent variables (factors) were considered important. The study reveals that experience (r=0.273**), investment (r=0.266**), retailing ability (r=0.346**) and communication skill (r=0.313**) had positive and highly significant association (at 0.01 level of probability) with retailing performance level of the respondents whereas education (r=0.197*), mode of accessing information (r=0.216*), agricultural training (r=0.208*), supply of products in proper time and in required quantity (r=0.212*), information seeking behavior about cultivation in field (r=0.199*), general knowledge of agriculture except plant protection(r=0.209*) and knowledge about plant protection(r=0.221*) had positive and significant relation (at 0.05 level of probability) with retailing performance level of the respondents in the study area. Selected socio-personal traits of retailers was fitted in the multiple regression equation and it is clear from the study that experience, investment, agricultural training, supply of products in proper time and in required quantity, retailing ability, communication skill and knowledge about plant protection were found to be positively significant at 0.05 level of probability. Considering the fact, public and private extension agencies should focus on this category of people carefully, because farmers’ development upto a great extent hidden behind development of agricultural input retailers of our country.