Meaning of Rural Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship emerging in rural areas is

called rural entrepreneurship.
Establishing industries in rural areas refers to
rural entrepreneurship.
Rural entrepreneurship is synonymous of rural
industrialization.

Definition
According to the KVIC : Rural industry means any industry located in rural
areas, population of which does not exceed 10,000 or
such other figure which produces any goods or renders
any services with or without use of power and in which
the fixed capital investment per head of an artisan or a
worker does not exceed a thousand Rupees.
According to Government of India : Any industry located in rural area, village or town
with a population of 20,000 and below and an
investment of Rs. 3 crores in plant and machinery.

Classification of Rural Industries

All rural industries have been classified into
the following six categories:1.Mineral-based industries.
2.Forest-based industries.
3.Agro-based industries.
4.Engineering and non-conventional industries.
5.Textile industry (including Khadi), and
6.Service industry.

Need for Rural Entrepreneurship

The
need
for
developing
rural
entrepreneurship is to promote rural
development in the country. This is
justified as follows :
Rural industries being labor intensive
serve as an antedote to the widespread
problems of rural unemployment.
It helps in reducing disparities in income
between rural and urban areas.
These industries promote balanced
regional development by dispersing
industries to rural areas.

Need for Rural Entrepreneurship contd.

Development of rural industries serves
as an effective means to build up village
republics.
Rural industries also help preserve the
old rich heritage of the country by
protecting and promoting art and
creativity.
Rural industrialization fosters economic
development in rural areas.
Rural industries also lead to
development without destruction.

Problems of Rural Entrepreneurship

Developing rural entrepreneurship is
important but not so easy. The general
bottlenecks in the development of village
industries are :

Financial constraints.
Lack of technical know-how.
Lack of training and extension
services.
Management problems.

Problems of Rural Entrepreneurship contd.

Lack of quality control.
High cost of production due to high
input cost.
Lack of communication and market
information.
Poor quality of raw materials.
Lack of storage and warehouses.
Obsolete and primitive technology.
Lack of promotional strategy.

How to Develop Rural Entrepreneurship

The following measures may prove effective instruments
for developing entrepreneurship in rural areas of
country :
A policy formulation for strengthening the raw material
base in rural areas in the country.
Finance for running an industry, needs to be made
available at soft and easy terms and conditions to the
prospective entrepreneurs.
Measures
like
common
production-cum-marketing
centres be taken to solve the marketing problem faced
rural industries.
Inculcate and develop entrepreneurial aptitude among
entrepreneurs to make them successful in their ventures.

How to Develop Rural Entrepreneurship

contd.
Imparting entrepreneurial education at the school,
college and University may be one of the effective
ways to inculcate the entrepreneurial attitude among the
prospective entrepreneurs in rural areas of the country.
Disseminating information about various facilities
available for prospective entrepreneurs to set up
industries in rural areas.
The NGOs should be encouraged to contribute to
development of rural industries in the country.