Questionnaire for Farmers

NOTE TO INTERVIEWER: FILL THIS SECTION OUT BEFORE THE INTERVIEW. PLEASE DO NOT ASK THE
QUESTIONS IN SECTION 0 (EXCEPT PHONE NUMBER, WHICH SHOULD BE OBTAINED AT THE END OF THE
INTERVIEW)
Questionnaire No.: _______

Date of Interview:___/___/_____ ID of Interviewer: ________________

District: 1 . Rajshahi / 2. Moulvibazar

Location of the business (town/village): ________________

Population of village/town __________________

Location: 1. Urban / 2. Rural

Name of enterprise: ______________________________________________________________________

Address of enterprise: ____________________________________________________________________
Phone number (mobile, if available) ________________________________________________________
Gender of the respondent:

1. Male / 2. Female

NOTE TO INTERVIEWER: TALK TO ENTERPRISE OWNER WHEN POSSIBLE. IF OWNER NOT AVAILABLE,
TALK TO CHIEF MANAGER ONLY. IF INTERVIEWING MANAGER, ASK QUESTIONS ON OWNERSHIP AND
FAMILY EMPLOYMENT RELATIVE TO ENTERPRISE OWNER (QUESTIONS 2 5)
Q1. Function of the respondent in the farm: 1= Owner / 2 = Chief Manager
Q2. Age of respondent ________
Q3. How many years have you attended school altogether (including university, if applicable)? ________
Q4. How many years have you been running this business? ________
Q5.
5.1 How
5.2 How
5.3 How
5.4 How

many
many
many
many

permanent employees does your farm employ in total? ________

seasonal employees does your farm employ at peak season? ________
of your permanent employees are members of your family (apart from yourself)? ______
of your seasonal employees are members of your family (apart from yourself)? ________

Q6. Is your farm registered with fiscal authorities? 1 = Yes / 2 = No

Q7. How much land do you: A. own? _________ hectares; B. lease in/rent in?________ hectares
Q8. What share of your production do you and your family sell (and not consume yourselves)?
1. We sell nearly everything
2. We sell most
3. We sell about half
4. We sell less than half
Q9. What kind of crops/livestock do you raise and get revenue from? From which source the primary
income comes from?
NOTE TO INTERVIEWER: PLEASE FIRST TICK THE CROPS/LIVESTOCK THE RESPONDENT GETS THE REVENUE FROM.
FOR SELECTED CATEGORIES, ASK ABOUT THE PRIMARY SOURCE OFINCOME AND THE PROPORTION OF ITS
CONTRIBUTION TO TOTAL REVENUE. WRITE THE PROPORTION (% OF TOTAL INCOME) IN THE APPROPRIATE BOX.
Crops:
Vegetables

Fruits
Barley
Cotton
Rice
Wheat
Sugarcane
Other _____________________
Livestock:

milk, yoghurt, cheese, duugh

Cows sale of animals and meat
Sheep and goats sale of animals and meat
Pigs
Poultry and eggs
Fish
Other _____________________
Q10.

Is your business profitable during the whole year? Yes / No

NOTE TO INTERVIEWER: IF THE ANSWER IS YES, SKIP TO QUESTION 12.

Q11.

How many months does your agribusiness have positive cash flow? _________

Q12.

Do you and your family keep written financial records of revenues and expenses? 1 = Yes/2 = No

Q13.
NOTE TO INTERVIEWER: THIS INFORMATION IS VERY IMPORTANT.
PLEASE COMMUNICATE TO THE RESPONDENT THAT THE SHARED INFORMATION WILL REMAIN
CONFIDENTIAL AND WILL NOT BE SHARED WITH THE AUTHORITIES.
13.1 Please fill in values in the following table about your vegetable business (in thousands of BDT)
NOTE TO INTERVIEWER: PLEASE ENTER AVERAGE DATA ONLY ABOUT ONE GROWING CYCLE (SEASON).
One growing cycle (season)
Value of sales (revenues)
Costs
Land preparation
(machinery/labour cost)
Seeds and plants
Fertilizers
Pesticides / herbicides
harvest (machinery/labour cost)
Transportation
Energy (Electricity, gas etc.)
Rent
Licences, fees
Other
Total Costs
Value of profits
13.2 How many growing cycles do you have per year? _____________
13.3 How many months does each growing cycle last? _____________
13.4 Please fill in values in the following table about your agri-business (in thousands of BDT)
Value of buildings/land owned
Values of equipment and vehicles owned
Value of livestock
Value of Inventories (raw materials, semi-finished

goods, finished goods)

Value of Debt
Value of personal and family expenses
Q14.

How much does each of these sources contribute to the revenues of your family?

Total annual revenue from other

sources
(other than vegetables)
Foreign Remittances
Government service or pension
Profit from other crops than
vegetables
Profit from livestock
Profit from other non agri-business
Outside job of other family members
in the household
Other sources
Other sources

in thousands of BDT

Please specify kind of other non agri-business(es)_____________________

Please specify kind of other source(s)
____________________________
Q15.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Please evaluate the development of your business over the last 24 months.
Declined significantly
Declined somewhat
Remained the same
Improved somewhat
Improved significantly

Q16. In the last 12 months, what proportion of your firms working capital and new fixed investment
has been financed from each of the following sources?
Working capital
Proportion (%)
Firms internal funds/Retained earnings
Debt
CHECK THAT TOTALS ARE
Q17.

New investments
Proportion (%)

100%

100%

Do you save money? 1 = Yes / 2 = No

NOTE TO INTERVIEWER: IF THE ANSWER ON QUESTION 17 IS NO, SKIP TO THE QUESTION 22.
Q18.

How much do you have in savings? ________

Q19.

Over what period (how many months) have you accumulated these savings? ___________

Q20.

Do you have a savings account with a financial institution? 1 = Yes / 2 = No

NOTE TO INTERVIEWER: IF THE ANSWER ON QUESTION 20 IS NO, SKIP TO THE QUESTION 23.
Q21.

What annual interest rate do you earn? _________

NOTE TO INTERVIEWER: IF THE BOTH ANSWERS ON QUESTIONS 17 AND 20 ARE YES, SKIP TO THE
QUESTION 23. IF ANY OF THE ANSWERS IS NO CONTINUE.
Q22.

What is the primary barrier to save?

1. lack of Cash

2.
3.
4.
5.
Q23.

Lack of institutions to save

Not being able to immediately get money
Dont trust financial institutions
Other (Specify) ____________________

Do you receive or transfer money through financial institutions?

a) Domestically 1 = Yes / 2 = No
b) Internationally 1 = Yes / 2 = No

NOTE TO INTERVIEWER: IF BOTH ANSWERS ON QUESTION 23 ARE NO, SKIP TO THE QUESTION 25. IF ONE
OF THE ANSWERS IS YES, CONTINUE.
Q24.

For what purposes do you receive/transfer money?

1. Payment/Receipt of business
2. Remittances from family members
3. Other

Q25.

How
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

frequently do you need to exchange money?

Daily
Once a week
Once a month
Infrequently
Not at all

NOTE TO INTERVIEWER: IF THE ANSWER ON QUESTION 25 IS NOT AT ALL, SKIP TO THE QUESTION 28.
Q26.

Approximately, how much you exchange each time? (in BDT) ________

Q27.

Do you exchange money at financial institutions? 1 = Yes / 2 = No

Q28. What is the approximate distance you have to travel and approximate time it takes to travel to
the nearest lending financial institution? ___________ in kms
__________ in minutes
Q29. In your opinion, if you want to get a loan from a financial institution, how important are the
following factors? (Rate from 1 to 5, with 1 being least important and 5 very important):
1. Convenient location of financial institution
2. Quick disbursement of loan (quick processing of loan application)
3. Quality of service of financial institutions staff
4. Low interest rate/cost of borrowing
5. Convenient repayment period
6. Absence of requirement for immovable property as collateral
7. Availability of other financial services from same financial institution
Q30.

1
1
1
1
1
1
1

2
2
2
2
2
2
2

3
3
3
3
3
3
3

4
4
4
4
4
4
4

5
5
5
5
5
5
5

Have you applied for a loan from a financial institution in the previous three years?
1. Yes

2. No

NOTE TO INTERVIEWER: IF THE ANSWER TO QUESTION 30 IS YES, MOVE TO QUESTION 32.

Q31.

What were the reasons you have not applied for a loan with a financial institution?
(mark up to two)

NOTE TO INTERVIEWER: DO NOT READ ANSWER CHOICES TO THE RESPONDENT. MARK THE CATEGORY TO
WHICH HIS ANSWER MOST CLOSELY CORRESPONDS. IF UNCLEAR, MARK AS OTHER AND SPECIFY
a. Primary reason (mentioned first) ______
b. Secondary reason (mentioned after primary reason) ________ (0 if only one reason was given)
1. High interest rates
2. Short loan term (maturity)
3. Excessive collateral requirements

4. Lengthy application process

5. High costs associated with borrowing
6. No lending financial institution in convenient proximity to my business/residence
7. High risks uncertain of own ability to pay interest and repay principal
9. Did not know could receive credit from a financial institution
10. Did not apply because was denied credit earlier
11. Dont need a loan
12. Other (please specify) __________________________________________________
Q32. Have you received a loan in the previous three years (2002 2005), including loans from
informal sources, such as family and friends?
1. Yes

2. No

NOTE TO INTERVIEWER: IF THE ANSWER TO QUESTION 32 IS NO, MOVE TO QUESTION 35.

Q33.

Please provide information about loans you received in 2002-2005 in table below.
Bank

1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Non-Bank
Credit
Organization

Family and
Friends

Other
informal
sources
(pawnshop,
moneylender)

Other
(Specify)
__________

# of loans
Total amount received (BDT)
Average annual interest rate (%)
Application time (# of days)
Maturity of loan (months)
Percentage of loan demanded as
collateral (security)
Individual=1 / Group=2
Q34. For what purposes did you use the loan money? Estimate the proportion (%) of total loan money
used for the following purposes.
1
2
3

Purchase inventories/ goods for sale

Purchase fixed assets (buildings, equipment,

livestock)
Purchase agricultural products (seeds,
fertilizer, pesticides, animal feed, etc.)

Personal / household expenses

Pay off other debts

Start new business

Other (specify):

CHECK THAT TOTAL OF PERCENTAGES EQUALS 100%

Q35. Please estimate the amount of external financing (other than retained earnings, earlier
business profits and personal savings) you will need in 2006 (in BDT):
1. Working capital
____________________________
2. Investment (new fixed assets)
____________________________
3. Consumption purposes
____________________________
4. Other (Specify)_____________
____________________________
Q36.

Please rank the sources of external financing you would seek (in order of preference):
___ Money lender
___ Non-bank credit institution
___ Commercial bank

___ Leasing company

___ Family/friends
___ Other sources (specify)
Q37.

_____________________________

Which of the listed products, would you need and use from a financial institutions?
1. Deposits/Savings
2. Money Transfer
3. Foreign Exchange
4. Credits

Q38. If you have the information, have your relatives/friends/neighbors received a loan from
financial institution?
1) YES
2) NO
3) I dont know
Q39. In your opinion, how likely is your company to apply for a new loan from a financial institution
within next 12 months?
1

I will not apply

It is unlikely that I will apply

It is likely that I will apply

I will definitely apply

NOTE TO INTERVIEWER: IF THE ANSWER IS I WILL NOT APPLY, GO TO QUESTION 45.

Q40. If you do apply for a loan in the next 12 months, what amount and term will you most likely
request?
1

Amount of loan (BDT)

Term (months)

Q41. Part 1: If you are approved for a loan of the amount and term you indicated in question 40, at
an annual interest rate of 24%, will you accept this loan? (If the respondent answers "YES" or "LIKELY",
do not ask Parts 2, 3, 4 and 5.)
Part 2: What if the annual interest rate is 20%? (If the respondent answers "YES" or "LIKELY", do
not ask Part 3, 4 and 5.)
Part 3: What if the annual interest rate is 16%? (If the respondent answers "YES" or "LIKELY", do
not ask Part 4 and 5.)
Part 4: What if the annual interest rate is 12% (If the respondent answers "YES" or "LIKELY", do not
ask Part 5.)
Part 5: What would be the acceptable interest rate for you then?
Yes

Likely

Unlikely

No

24% interest

20% interest

16% interest

12% interest

Acceptable
interest %

Q42. If you do apply for a loan in the next 12 months, what is the maximum monthly payment that
you can afford to pay for the loan?
_____________________________

Q43. What banks or other institutions, such as NGOs, would you prefer to apply for a loan from?
NOTE TO INTERVIEWER: IF THE RESPONDENT DOES NOT KNOW ANY, WRITE ZERO.
Banks

Other Institutions

Q44. If you do apply for a loan in the next 12 months, for what purpose will you most likely use the
money? Indicate the percentage of the loan amount that will go to each purpose.
1
2
3

Q45.

Purchase inventories/ goods for sale

Purchase fixed assets (buildings, equipment,
livestock)
Purchase agricultural inputs (seeds, fertilizer,
pesticides, animal feed, etc.)

Personal/ household expenses

Pay off other debts

Start new business

Other (specify): _____________________

What is your telephone number (mobile if possible)? _____________________________

NOTE TO INTERVIEWER: PLEASE COPY THE TELEPHONE NUMBER TO THE SECTION AT THE BEGINNING OF
THE INTERVIEW.