Privatisation Of Extension Service Providers

GOOD MORNING

EXTENSION SERVICE PROVIDERS PUBLIC EXTENSION SERVICE

PRIVATE EXTENSION SERVICE

PUBLIC EXTENSION SERVICE PROVIDERS Ministry of agriculture  GOI  SAUs  Department of agriculture  Development departments 

PRIVATE EXTENSION SERVICE PROVIDERS Private corporate firms  farmer’s associations  NGOs  Media organisations 

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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA 

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE  DIRECTORATE OF EXTENSION  LINE DEPARTMENTS  80,800 village extension workers,  78,000-Department of Agriculture  Presently there are 1,10,000 extension staff of whom around 20% are graduates (ICAR,1998) 

SAUs The universities perform three major functions namely teaching, research and extension.  The major extension role of the university is to provide technical support and consultancy service to government departments (training) engaged in agricultural development work and to farmers in special cases.  The responsibility of planning and coordinating all extension activities of the university lies with Directorate of Extension. 

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From farmers point of view, the directorates may not be of immediate benefit to farmers except for those residing nearly or near to it or nearby district of its location.  The chances of constant interaction are also low because of the few technical manpower in the directorates and the large population to be covered in their operational area. 

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ROLE OF PUBLIC EXTENSION

Technology transfer for socio-economic transformation of rural area  Safe guarding national food grain production  Concentrating on environmental issues 

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Sustainable agriculture Soil and water conservation measures Empahasizing INM ,IPM Human resources development in agriculture

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CONTI..

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Gender issues:

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◦ Empowerment of farm women ◦ Training programs for women ◦ TOT for women cultivars 

Training for present and prospective farmers  Providing advice for off season employment to rural poor farmers  Co-ordinating efforts of different developmental departments for rural development 

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PRIVATE EXTENSION SERVICE PROVIDERS

Types of organizations providing private extension services in India Sl.No.

Individual / Organisation

Private Role

 

 

Funding

Delivery

1.

Krishi Vigyan Kendra

Public

Private

2.

Farmers Associations

Private

Private

3.

Producers Cooperatives

Private

Private

4.

Consultants

Private

Private

5.

NGOs

Private Public

Private Private

6.

Print Media a)News papers b) Agricultural Magazines

Private

Private

7.

Television – Private channels

Private

Private

8.

Agri-business firms

Private

Private

9.

Input dealers

Private

Private

10.

Private sector Banks

Private

Private

11.

Internet

Private

Private

12.

Donor Agencies

Private

Private / Public

PRIVATE CORPORATE FIRMS Their own research, extension, marketing and promotion wings.  Extension activities is also supported by providing credit, subsidies and inputs.  They have their own farm magazines in local languages and also training centres.  some commodity boards also introduced charging system for extension services like soil analysis, farm visits, training and publications. 

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INPUT SUPPLIERS Pesticide sellers  Seed producers  Fertilizer companies,etc 

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Many of the agro-input companies performs some extension functions. one function is marketing. marketing officers are the one who also oversee the extension related functions.

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Input companies spend considerable amount on advertisement, mainly to boost the sale of their products through bill boards, wall paintings, leaflets and media advertisements, few demonstrations.

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Some companies also sponsor the cost of some extension activities of line departments such as agricultural seminars

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But in high value crops such as flowers, there are input firms which provide total extension support to their growers. This includes advise from site selection to technological guidance throughout the growing period and advise on marketing

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Some fertilizer companies arrange soil testing facilities

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NGOs 

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Around 15,000 - 20,000 NGOs in India - rural development. Wide variations in the densities of NGOs is observed Annual NGO revenue from abroad is around Rs.9 billion

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In Rajasthan on pilot basis, few AAO circles are handed over to NGOs to carry out extension work.

FARMER’S ASSOCIATIONS 

starting points for the development of producer’s cooperatives.

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The need for initiating farmers associations in crops has been well recognised NGOs to organise farmers into groups.

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The idea is to encourage farmer’s groups to organise different types of services for themselves, including input supply, credit and or technical services and marketing arrangements – activities that would increase their productivity and incomes, while decreasing their dependence on government  (ICAR, 1998).

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MEDIA ORGANISATIONS AIR & Doordarshan:

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Now-a-days many private TV channels are telecasting agricultural programmes considering the cost effectiveness (cost / farmer), time at which they can reach many farmers at a time and the effectiveness of the media, efforts are needed to harness this potential

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Media print:

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Organised attempts to use print media for extension work in DOA and Universities. -books ,magazines ,leaflets ,newspapers 

ROLE OF PRIVATE EXTENSION

Farm advisory services for profit maximization of clients  Timely inputs supply for better production  Providing market informations  Processing the clients produce  Marketing the clients produce  Providing credit facilities for the farmers  Providing infrastructure facilities  Eg:transport,storage,etc 

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Some of the problems in public extension system observed are :  

supply driven rather than demand driven. Commercialization of agriculture gave rise to specialized client and demand for location specific extension services.

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Public extension deals with a large area, large population and diverse cropping pattern.

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Extension services provided are general in nature rather than specific and intensive.

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High cost, low impact of extension programmes, growing conflicts between farmer’s interest and policy goals, poor motivation of staff and conflicting roles are observed in

Conti.. Insufficient face to face contact between extension worker and farmer.  Inadequate funds for operational purpose.  Inadequate technical qualifications of VLW.  Incomplete extension services.  Inadequate internal organization structure  Inefficiency of extension personnel  Inappropriateness or irrelevance of extension content.  Dilution of impact. 

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Some observations of private extension scenario worldwide : Private extension reduces the economic burden of governments – Netherlands 

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Increases the efficiency of extension services provided upto the satisfaction of farmers

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Privatisation increases the competency of the research system – Extension contract system in China

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Government can ensure quality extension services by technically competent extension agents through legislation – certification in Germany

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Government can privatize extension while concentrating more on important areas – Tunisia

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Government can have maximum control over private extension activities – Chile

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PRIVATISATION OF EXTENSION SERVICES

PRIVATISATION?? 

The act of reducing the role of Government or increasing the role of private sector in any activity or in the ownership of assets.  Savas,1987

Is private extension and privatisation the same??

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES & ITS RELEVANCE IN INDIAN CONTEXT

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Broad experiences can be considered to strengthen the extension services for designing an alternate and viable model to suite to our conditions.

AUSTRALIA Largest experience with fee for service extension activity in the world,having introduced fee based advisory service.  Interviews revealed that it was an unhappy experience  Implementation of cost recovery policymajor restructuring;major role for field staff! 

UNITED KINGDOM ADAS operated under a wide range of commercial operations.  Promotes direct payment by users without privatization of extension services  Novelty approach-charging for certain services “a time cost basis”..previously offered free! 

BRITAIN 

The agricultural and advisory service(ADAS) charge fee for services of direct benefit to the clients,but not for the services which spread benefits across society,such as those relating to soil conservation

NORWAY 

While the Government pays salary,the farmer’s circle pays the operational fees(as 50:50 cost sharing agreement)

MEXICO 

Is planning to shift at least half the cost of extension services to farmers groups in irrigated areas.It is emphasising cost cutting through privatisation and user of mass media

KOREA & TAIWAN 

The co-operative structure of extension has developed in two far eastern countries ,korea and Taiwan

CHILE 

Government provides funds(80%) to private technology transfer consultancy firms which comprises of one or two agronomists and a few agricultural technicians.

NEW ZEALAND 

Private consultants play an important role in agriculture in the industrialised country

CANADA 

Commodity groups fund and control their own extension agronomists

TURKEY 

Extension cost is shared between farmer groups and the government through the chambers of agriculture. 

(world bank,1994)

COLOMBIA 

Municipalities pay for all extension services out of local tax revenue

Demarcating the benefits of extension services are not helpful  ‘Fee for extension’-restrict personal contact  -Less effective In developed countries,  Extension education is mainly an  advisory service 

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