Analysis of performance efficiency and its influence on growth of rural micro enterprises in Assam: a value chain based assessment
- IASSI Quarterly: Contributions of Indian Social Science
- 38(4), Oct-Dec 2019: p. 584-601
Based on a survey of 80 micro enterprises in four districts of Assam, India, the present study explores the value chain of rural micro enterprises at enterprise level across four major rural enterprise activities. The study also examines the performance efficiency of the rural micro enterprise sector by creating a performance efficiency index. The sectoral value chain reveals that the enterprises are lagging behind in aspects like infusing technology, promoting market linkages, and enhancing product design and development etc which can help in improving competitiveness. Further, it is found that majority of the enterprises reflect low production efficiency in terms of cost, manpower and time. Therefore, in order to achieve accelerated growth of the rural micro enterprise sector, focussed measures for enhancing performance of the micro enterprises in terms of manpower, time and cost efficiency as a policy measure along with addressing the issues like technology infusion, market promotion and product diversification is the need of the hour. - Reproduced