Client’s Perception of Aquaculture Extension Service in a Selected Sub-District of Bangladesh

Abstract

Abstract This study examines the perceived quality of public aquaculture extension services in a selected sub-district of Bangladesh. The SERVPERF scale data were collected from 230 randomly selected fish farmers who resided in the 15 villages under the selected sub-district. The research findings suggest that the aquaculture extension service performs satisfactorily in assurance, responsiveness and tangible dimensions and is relatively low in reliability and empathy. The logistic regression findings confirm that among the dimensions of the SERVPERF, reliability, assurance and empathy can significantly influence the client’s overall satisfaction with the aquaculture extension service. The factor analytic results show that among the 20 statements of SERVPERF, nine statements grouped into three factors can be a viable tool for measuring the quality of aquaculture extension service. This study recommends individualistic client care, the development of extension skills and the intention of the extension agents to provide need-based prompt service and to arrange extension programs considering the client’s convenience.