Skip to content
Home▶ Journals▶ Indian Journal of Extension Education▶Archive▶Vol. 62 No. 1 (2026)▶Farmer Preparedness and Constraints for Agribusiness…
Indian Journal of Extension Education
Indian Journal of Extension Education ›
Online ISSN 2454-552X
Submit your paper About the journal
Research Note

Farmer Preparedness and Constraints for Agribusiness Opportunities at Vizhinjam International Seaport, Kerala

, ,
Jils Jestas — PG Scholar, Department of Agricultural Extension Education, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, Thiruvananthapuram 695522, Kerala, India
K G Sangeetha — Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural Extension Education, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, Thiruvananthapuram 695522, Kerala, India
S Anupama — Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural Extension Education, College of Agriculture, Padannakad, Kasaragod-671315, Kerala, India
Published 29 Dec 2025 Vol. 62 No. 1 (2026), pp. 200-204 ● Open access
❝ How to cite 🔗 https://doi.org/10.48165/IJEE.2026.621RN03
Formats:PDF ● Open access
Download PDF

Abstract

The study was conducted during 2024-25 in Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala, to assess farmer preparedness and constraints in leveraging agribusiness opportunities associated with the Vizhinjam International Seaport. The principal objective was to identify and prioritize constraints affecting farmer participation in port-led agribusiness. A total of 100 farmers were selected using purposive and random sampling techniques. Data were collected through a structured interview schedule, focus group discussions, and expert consultations. The Garrett Ranking Technique was applied to rank the identified constraints. The results revealed that institutional and policy barriers such as frequent policy shifts and inadequate extension–export support were ranked as the most severe. Market fragmentation, weak farmer collectives, land fragmentation, labour scarcity, and digital gaps also limited preparedness. Farm-level and compliance-related challenges, including stagnant productivity and certification costs, were reported but considered relatively less critical. It was concluded that systemic and governance issues outweigh farm-level problems in determining export readiness. The study highlights the need for policy stability, farmer-centric export schemes, strengthened FPOs, ICT-enabled extension, and targeted capacity building to ensure inclusive integration of smallholders into global value chains through Vizhinjam Seaport. 

KeywordsFarmer preparednessAgribusiness opportunitiesConstraintsVizhinjam seaportExtension educationExport readinessFarmer producer organizations

The full text of this article is available as a PDF.

Download PDF
  1. Anamika, Ghalawat, S., Goyal, M., Malik, J. S., & Bishnoi, D. (2023). Constraints faced by tomato growers at production and marketing level in Haryana. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 59(2), 142–145. https://doi.org/10.48165/IJEE.2023.59232
  2. Chandran, V., & Podikunju, B. (2021). Constraints experienced by homestead vegetable growers in Kollam district. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 57(1), 32–37. https://journals.acspublisher.com/index.php/ijee/article/view/4223
  3. Das, L., Nain, M. S., Singh, R., & Burman, R. R. (2014). Constraints in marketing of fruits as perceived by fruit growers and NERAMAC in Assam. Journal of Community Mobilization and Sustainable Development, 9(2), 114–117.
  4. Davis, K., & Sulaiman, R. V. (2014). The “new extensionist”: Roles, strategies and capacities to strengthen extension and advisory services.Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS). https://newprairiepress.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?params=/context/jiaee/article/1235/&path_info=2014.21.3.Davis.pdf
  5. Fonseka, W. A. D. W., Hewage, A. J., Wijekoon, Y. G. I. H., & Weerasekera, S. (2025). Export quality standards compliance of small-scale farmers: The case of MAC Exports Company. SKIPS Anveshan, 5(2), 32–57. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/390039000
  6. Garrett, H. E., & Woodworth, R. S. (1969). Statistics in psychology and education. Vakils, Feffer & Simons. https://arunodayauniversity.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/STATISTICS-IN-PSYCHOLOGY-AND-EDUCATION-Garrett.pdf
  7. Government of India. (2023). Economic survey 2022–23. Ministry of Finance, Government of India. https://www.indiabudget.gov.in/economicsurvey
  8. Government of Kerala. (2020). Vizhinjam International Seaport Project: Status report. Department of Ports, Government of Kerala. https://vizhinjamport.in/
  9. Henson, S., & Jaffee, S. (2008). Understanding developing country strategic responses to the enhancement of food safety standards. The World Economy, 31(4), 548–568. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9701.2007.01034.x
  10. Kademani, S., Nain, M. S., Singh, R., Kumar, S., Parsad, R., Sharma, D. K., Roy, S. K., Krishna, D. K., Prabhakar, I., Mahapatra, A., & Patil, M. (2024). Unveiling challenges and strategizing solutions for sustainable agri-entrepreneurship development. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 8, 1447371. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1447371
  11. Kersting, S., & Wollni, M. (2012). New institutional arrangements and standard adoption: Evidence from small-scale fruit and vegetable farmers in Thailand. Food Policy, 37(2–3), 255–265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2012.02.001
  12. Malik, N., Singh, M. K., Kumar, A., Nain, M. S., & Vashishtha, P. (2023). Farmers’ readiness for organic farming: A study of Aligarh district in Uttar Pradesh. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 59(1), 42–45. https://doi.org/10.48165/IJEE.2023.59109
  13. Manoj, P. K., & Joseph, J. (2016). International container transshipment terminal at Cochin: A SWOT analysis. International Journal of Trade and Global Markets, 9(1), 45–57.
  14. Megha, A. K. M., Siva, S., & Thomas, A. (2025). Constraints faced by pineapple farmers in adopting climate-smart adaptation strategies in Kerala. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 61(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.48165/IJEE.2025.611RN02
  15. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). (2019). Credit potential for export credit in Kerala state. NABARD, Thiruvananthapuram Regional Office. https://tinyurl.com/5pct8shz
  16. Navya, S., Reddy, K. M., & Swamy, M. N. (2022). Export readiness of smallholder farmers in Telangana: Constraints and opportunities. Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics, 77(1), 121–130.
  17. Notteboom, T., & Rodrigue, J. P. (2005). Port regionalization: Towards a new phase in port development. Maritime Policy & Management, 32(3), 297–313. https://doi.org/10.1080/03088830500139885
  18. Reardon, T., Timmer, C. P., Barrett, C. B., & Berdegué, J. A. (2009). The rise of supermarkets in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 91(5), 1140–1146. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0092-5853.2003.00520.x
  19. Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). Free Press. https://teddykw2.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/everett-m-rogers-diffusion-of-innovations.pdf
  20. Roy, P., & Ghosh, S. (2022). Constraints faced by pineapple growers in Tripura. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 58(2), 140–143. https://doi.org/10.48165/IJEE.2022.58227
  21. Spices Board of India. (2023). Annual report: Export performance of Indian spices. Spices Board. https://www.indianspices.com/sites/default/files/MPR%202022-23.pdf
  22. Trebbin, A. (2014). Linking small farmers to modern retail through producer organizations—Experiences from India. Food Policy, 45, 35–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2013.12.007
  23. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). (2023). Review of maritime transport 2023. UNCTAD. https://unctad.org/webflyer/review-maritime-transport-2023
  24. World Bank. (2023). Connecting to compete: Trade logistics in the global economy. World Bank. https://lpi.worldbank.org/sites/default/files/2023-04/LPI_2023_report.pdf

Looking up citing articles…

    Creative Commons License

    This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.