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Institute of Agribusiness Management, ANGRAU-S.V. Agricultural College, Tirupati-517 502.
Pesticides play a vital role in protecting crops from pest infestations and ensuring food security, particularly in cotton growing regions such as Kadapa district, Andhra Pradesh. where pest attacks are frequent and severe. This study, titled “Preference Patterns of Farmers Towards Pesticide Brands in Cotton Cultivation in Kadapa District,” aimed to identify key information sources, factors influencing brand preference and problems faced by cotton farmers. Four mandals were purposively selected based on the extent of cotton cultivation. From each mandal, three villages were randomly selected, resulting in a total of twelve villages. From each village, ten cotton farmers were randomly selected, accounting for 120 farmer respondents in total. Data were collected through structured interviews and focus group discussions and analyzed using Garrett’s Ranking Technique.
Most influential source of information was fellow farmers and progressive farmers (mean score 71.32, Rank 1), followed by television/radio (64.92, Rank 2) and demonstrations/field days (60.03, Rank 3). Regarding brand preference, previous product experiences ranked highest (mean score 72.75), followed by cost and affordability (64.13) and dealer’s influence (59.03) were the factors influencing. The major problems reported by farmers in using pesticide brands were high price of pesticides (mean score 72.28, Rank 1), poor after sales service (65.02, Rank 2) and presence of spurious products (58.97, Rank 3). The study emphasizes the importance of experiential learning, affordability and dealer networks were influencing farmer decisions, while also highlighting the need for better extension services, credit access and stricter regulation to address key challenges in pesticide usage.
KEYWORDS: Pesticide brand preference, factors influencing, problems, cotton.