AWARENESS OF AGRO INPUT DEALERS ABOUT INSECTICIDE LABEL CLAIMS

Insecticide label claims are important sources of information for the farmers and the agro input dealers who sell them. They provide information about the active ingredients, mode of action, target pests, dosage, application method, safety precautions and environmental impact of the insecticides. However, the awareness level of the agro input dealers about these label claims is not well known. This study aimed to assess the awareness level of 120 agro-input dealers in Beed district of Maharashtra state, India, about the insecticide label claims and their toxicity labels. The study also examined the relationship between the profile of the agro input dealers and their awareness level, and identified the constraints and suggestions of the agro-input dealers regarding the insecticide label claims. The study used a structured questionnaire to collect data from the respondents through personal interview method. The data were analysed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation and correlation coefficient. The results showed that the majority of the agro-input dealers had low to medium level of awareness about the insecticide label claims and their toxicity labels. The profile variables such as age, education, experience, training and membership in association had significant positive correlation with their awareness level. The major constraints faced by the agro input dealers were lack of training, inadequate display of label claims, complex language of label claims and low literacy level of farmers. The major suggestions given by the agro input dealers were to provide regular training, simplify the language of label claims, increase the font size and colour contrast of label claims and educate the farmers about the importance of label claims.