Characterization of farm households in terms of market accessibility- A case study in West Tripura district of Tripura

In this study focus has been given on characterization of farm households in terms of market accessibility and identification of factors determining input purchasing behavior in West Tripura district of Tripura state. It refers to an exhaustive survey covering 100 sample farms during the period 2011-12. The study area has witnessed by low intensity of cropping (119%) though more than 90% of the net area gets irrigation which implies that farmers are lagging much behind the adoption of modern technologies and practices. The factors determining the input purchasing behavior have been examined. The sample farms were classified into two groups namely, market-prone and market-averse groups on the basis of involvement of farmers in output market. The study reveals that 40% of the sample farmers do not have proper market access and remain beyond the orbit of market forces. Characteristics of groups have also been identified by Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) method.