Agripreneurship in Punjab: Examining the Status of the Agri-Clinics and Agri- Business Centres Scheme
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53983/ijmds.v15n02.009Keywords:
Agripreneurship, Agri-Clinics, Agri-Business Centres, Agricultural Extension ServicesAbstract
The agriculture sector is critical to the economy of India and strengthening agricultural extension services will lead to increases in farm productivity and rural livelihoods. In 2002 the Government of India (GoI) launched an Agri-Clinics and Agri-Business Centres (hereafter abbreviated as ACABC) scheme that provides supportive services to private agribusinesses by creating professional advisors for farmers from agriculture graduates and supporting agripreneurship among graduates. The study examines the status and performance of the ACABC scheme in India with special reference to Punjab. The present study is based on secondary data extracted from the ACABC database and analyzed using descriptive statistics along with the Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR).The findings indicate there are significant amounts of candidates that have been trained and have set up new enterprises throughout India. However, the contribution of Punjab’s results is comparatively lower than the national average. The study also identifies variations at district level participation and indicates the dominance of livestock and advisory based ventures. The results suggest the need for greater awareness, improved institutional support, and better access to finance to enhance the effectiveness of the scheme in Punjab.
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