Preference of service providers for the veterinary service-a case study of Sangli District of Maharastra state , India

Availability of veterinary services is very important for development of livestock sector in India. In many locations apart from state veterinary services other veterinary services are also available and the veterinary service users have the choice available with them regarding the service providers. The preference of service providers depend upon the location, distance, livestock holding and capacity to pay and quality of services. A study was conducted among the livestock owners of Sangli district in Maharastra to assess the preference of the livestock owners towards a particular veterinary service provider. Majority of large farmers preferred state veterinary services and cooperative veterinary services where it had strong presence. Cooperative veterinary service can be a good alternative to the state veterinary services and the private veterinary service providers are still not preferred in the rural area.


Introduction
pointed out that the present day livestock husbandry system, characterized by more intensive production, Animal health service delivery system is an c a p i t a l i n t e n s i v e t e c h n o l o g i e s a n d m o r e abstraction which is used to describe the way in which commercialized operations all requiring a higher level knowledge, skill and other resources related to animal of veterinary services, outline the need for provision of health are organized within an economy for the quality services even at low cost in India.He further delivery of services to animals and their keepers.They suggested that the mandate of the government with further stated that the purpose of animal health regard to livestock should be modified in such a way services delivery system is to optimize the use of that the current veterinary services and artificial resources and improve the welfare of the animals and breeding be moved to private hands and the humans by reducing diseases (Mlangwa and Kisauzi, government departments devote their energy on 1994).Animal health service in most production disease prevention and control.systems covers three main areas i.e. animal health, There is a growing demand among producers production human health protection and extension and consumers for veterinary services to protect the services.It is fact that animal health services are health of animals and the safety of products of animal directly related to the production.As livestock origin for both domestic and international markets.services, like other agricultural services in developing Livestock service around the world are usually countries, have undergone changes after delivered through a system composed of government liberalization, livestock producers are faced with a institution and to greater or lesser extent, organization and individual belonging to the private sector range of service delivery organizations, public and (Kleeman, 1999).

private. It is timely to document what livestock
For the most of South Asia including India producers look for in service delivery, and how they government is direct provider of the services and the evaluate the organizations that deliver services.services are either delivered free of charge or with Veterinary Services apply the skills, knowledge subsidies (Ahuja and Redmond, 2004).India has one and resources of the veterinary profession to the of the largest animal health infrastructure and protection and improvement of human and animal technical expertise in the world.health.These Services make an indispensable Ever since the beginning of planning era, efforts contribution to the physical, mental and social welfare have been made to reduce economic losses due to of humans (Van Leewen, 2002).Prabhaharan (2000) mortality and morbidity through strengthening the were selected randomly following the simple random infrastructure for animal health.The provision of sampling method.animal health service in India is in the domain of Thus a total of 120 respondent households made public sector and many health service activities like up the sample for the present study.The data from quarantine, service during diseases prevalence, selected respondents was collected through the quality control, research and extension are mainly specially designed and pre tested interview schedule.responsibility of government (Singh et al., 1998).In

India, recognizing the importance of livestock to rural
The respondents were asked to indicate their poor and their inability to avail the fully paid livestock major preference to different available service services, the Government in centre and the state have providers viz.veterinary officer at village veterinary been extending these services at a huge subsidy with hospital, veterinary officer of dairy cooperative, their vast veterinary institutional network built up in private practitioner, N.G.O's and traditional healer the last 5 decades through many livestock sector from all the three blocks viz.Palus, Miraj, Islampur.promotion schemes to augment livestock production The table 1 shows that in block A majority farmers as well as productivity.In addition there are cooperatives, preferred private practitioners as these practitioners NGO's and private entrepreneurs endeavoring these reach to farmers door step at any time by any mean livestock services to lesser extent.In this background when farmers called them.The private practitioners it was felt important to provide evidences by analyzing reach to remote areas to give veterinary service, but the existing situation of the livestock health services majority of large farmers (42%) preferred veterinary delivery system.services provided by the dairy cooperative as they

Material and methods
had large livestock population and it was mandatory in the part of the dairy cooperative to give best Maharashtra state was chosen purposively for veterinary service to their member farmers.In block B the present research work as the first author belongs to major preference of respondents was for State this state and well versed with the local language and department of animal husbandry (government dialect of the area.Selection of the ultimate respondents veterinary officer).The respondents from this block was based on simple stratified random sampling thought that the veterinary charges charged by governmethod of sampling.Three Talukas Palus,(A) Miraj ment service provider for availing services were much (B)and Islampur taluka (C) out of 9 talukas in the less than that of cooperative and private veterinary Sangli district were selected randomly.It was assumed officer's fees.that selected talukas represented the population of The highest percentage of respondents from district.From each selected block, four villages each block C favors private practitioner.Some villages out of total villages in each block were selected from block C had no government veterinary officer randomly.Ankalkhop, Bhilwadi, Palus and Santgoan appointed in veterinary dispensaries.In study area no villages from Palus taluka; Kavatepiran Kasbedigraj respondent was approached for local healer to treat the Nandre and Samdoli villages from Miraj taluka and animal here it shows that there was availability of Bavachi, Dhavali, Gotkhindi and Nagaon villages veterinary service providers in study area.The literacy from Islampur taluka were selected.The list of all level among respondents was high in study area which farmers of the selected villages having at least one causes this result that farmers treat their animals from animal was prepared and from each village 10 farmers veterinary practitioner who treats their animals result that farmers treat their animals from veterinary The Hindu.Newspaper.
practitioner who treats their animals with proper 5. Singh, R. et.al. (1998).Review of animal health service in knowledge.

Table - 1: Respondent's preference for different veterinary service providers.
for local healer to treat the animal here it 3.Mlangwa, J.E.D. and Kisauzi, D.N.(1994).Systemshows that there was availability of veterinary service approach to animal health services delivery in sub-Saharan providers in study area.The literacy level among Africa: Concept development.Rev.Sci.Tech.13, (3): 665-672.respondents was high in study area which causes this 4. Prabaharan, R. (2000).Livestock -Research investment crucial.The Hindu Survey of Indian Agriculture Chennai, approached