Identifying and Prioritizing Supportive Needs of Agro- Enterprise Development (Case Study: Golestan Province)

This research was conducted with the aim of identifying and prioritizing supportive needs of agro-enterprise development in Golestan Province. This descriptive research was done by using Delphi technique. In order to collect data and information, a sample of ago-enterprise managers and agro-enterprise owners was selected (n=34). As a typical procedure of Delphi technique, a series of three sets of information and data collection and processing were conducted, using interviews and questionnaires. Based on the research findings, two main groups of supportive needs, including (1) institutional supporting, and (2) training and information services were prioritized based on coefficient of variation, separately. Among the institutional supports: allocating bank credits, facilitating bureaucratic procedures, developing infrastructures, crystallizing law and legal procedures, allocating lands, paying subsides; regulating markets and extending insurance coverage are ranked as high priorities. Among the training and information services: formal and bureaucratic procedures of setting up and management of an enterprise, current and future areas and opportunities of entrepreneurship, law and legal affairs of setting up and management of enterprise, preparing a business plan enterprise positioning constructs and installations of enterprises, and production planning are placed in the range of high priorities.