Factors Influencing the Adoption of Certified Potato Seeds Among the Farmers Operating in Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

In Pakistan, potato is the third most important staple food after wheat and rice, but yields remain low in comparison with developed countries due to the use of low-quality and expensive seeds. This study evaluates the comparative economic analysis of the adopters and non-adopters and also assesses the influencing factors of certified seed adoption in Punjab, Pakistan. A multi-stage purposive random sampling technique was used to collect the data from 160 potato growers, using a well-structured questionnaire. A binary probit model was used to assess the influencing factors of certified seed adoption. It has been observed that the certified seed adopters were significantly more profitable and made more expenses on seed purchases than the non-adopters. The overall model was significant, with a log-likelihood ratio of Chi-square of -10.02 and a probability of Chi-square of less than 1%. The results show that age, distance from farm to input markets, and having soil salinity on the farm all had a negative impact on the adoption of certified potato seed. While, potato farming experience, having a non-farm income source and credit accessibility significantly increases the likelihood of adopting the certified potato seed. There is a need to develop new high-yield certified potato seed varieties, and they should be subsidized for better and higher quality potato exportable production.