PRESENT SCENARIO OF TOMATO (Solanum lycopersicum L.) PRODUCTION AND PROBLEMS CONFRONTED BY THE GROWERS IN KHULNA DISTRICT

The main objectives of this study were to analyze the present situation of tomato production and  to explore the relationship between personal characteristics of the respondents and the problems confronted by the farmers. Data were collected from selected 50 respondents of five villages viz. Raingamari, sachibunia, and Dorgatola in Bathiaghata upazila and Mirzapur, Baratia in Dumuria upazilla of Khulna district through personal interview method by the researcher himself using an interview schedule during 11 March to 23 April, 2018.  Problems confronted by the farmers were the dependent variable and the ten selected characteristics of the respondents considered as the independent variables of the study. Nearly half (40%) of the respondents were middle-aged involved with tomato cultivation. About half of them (56%) were farmers, maintaining medium size family (62%), with medium annual family income (58%) and majority of them had medium farm size (80%). Majority of them had small land (68%) under vegetable cultivation and marginal land (90%) under tomato cultivation. Most of the farmers cultivate the tomato variety Surakkha (80%). Most common insect was fruit borer (62%) and disease is wilting
(70%). Among the ten selected problems, two were less common, six were common, and two were highly common. Most of the respondents confronted medium type of problem in tomato production. Among ten selected characteristics of the respondents’ annual family income and land under tomato cultivation showed a significant negative relationship with their problem confrontation. Distribution of insect showed a significant positive relationship with the problem confrontation. Rest of the variables had non-significant relationship with the confronted problems. 

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