Training needs assessment of Radish growers in peri-urban areas of the Punjab, Pakistan

By increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables, lives of about 2.7 million people could be saved each year. In Pakistan, to meet the demands, production of vegetables is not enough which results in high prices. There is double increase in the growth of urban population than those of total growth. In past decades, vegetable production has remained very low in Pakistan because the research institutes and researchers have not given due priority and it has been inadequately addressed. Therefore, the present study was designed in order to assess the training needs of radish growers in peri-urban areas of province Punjab. Due to limited financial resources, the research was limited to peri-urban areas of Faisalabad city (3rd populous city of Punjab). Data were collected with the help of validated and well-structured questionnaire from 208 respondents who were registered with Fruit and Vegetable Development Program (F&VDP). Findings of the present research indicate that vegetable growers were information deficient in different production practices i.e. fertilizer application, seed rate and insect/pest identification. It was therefore, suggested that effective extension work is required by the public sector extension department to enhance the practical knowledge of farmers regarding above mentioned vegetable production practices. Enhanced knowledge will definitely lead to adopt recommended practices and ultimately will result in increased vegetable production.