Service Quality and Its Impact on the Farmer Productivity in the Other Export Crop Sector:
A Case Study of Ukuwela Agrarian
Service Division

A.H.M.S.W.B. Abeyrathne, Sarath S. Kodithuwakku and
L.H.P. Gunaratne*

ABSTRACT

 The Other Export Crops sector of Sri Lanka has been growing over the past few years. The objective of this study was to identify and analyze the interfaces of the supply chain of services provided to the other export crop industry in order to find out the effects of service quality on farmer productivity. The study was conducted in the Ukuwela Agrarian Service Division.

Service quality was measured based on the Serve-qual model. Data was collected through both primary and secondary sources. Primary data was collected through in-depth interviews, structured questionnaires and stakeholder analysis of both service providers and  recipients. Interfaces of the supply chain were defined based on the gap between the actual and anticipated service quality levels and experienced service quality level.

Nine interfaces were defined. As far as the overall service quality is concerned, five interfaces were moderately satisfactory, two were average and another two problematic. None of the interfaces were highly satisfactory. However a positive relationship was not found between the service quality gap and the farmer productivity, whereas experienced level of service was positively related with farmer productivity.
 

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*  The authors are, respectively, Final Year Undergraduate Student at the time the study was conducted, and Senior Lecturers in Agricultural Economics, University of Peradeniya. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Abeyrathne, Kodithuwakku and Gunaratne. 2002. Sri Lankan Journal of Agricultural Economics. Volume 4. Part 1. Pp. 151-166.
 

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