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Aims: To map the buying behaviour of farmers for hybrid paddy seed, identify the factors influencing farmers' purchase decisions, assess the level and determinants of brand loyalty, and rank the constraints faced by farmers in accessing hybrid paddy seed in Nalgonda district of Telangana, India.

Study Design, Place and Duration: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in Narketpally and Tripuraram mandals of Nalgonda district, Telangana, during the Kharif 2025-26 season.

Methodology: A multistage sampling design, combining purposive selection of mandals and villages with simple random selection of farmers, was used to select 72 hybrid paddy-growing farmers from six villages across the two mandals. Primary data were collected using a pre-tested, structured interview schedule and analysed using percentage analysis, Exploratory Factor Analysis (Principal Component Analysis with Varimax rotation), a four-dimensional Brand Loyalty Index (Repurchase Intention, Word-of-Mouth Intention, Switching Resistance and Brand Trust) and Garrett's Ranking Technique.

Results: Input dealers and company field staff jointly accounted for over 90 per cent of initial brand awareness, with negligible contribution from mass media or institutional sources. Exploratory Factor Analysis (KMO = 0.631; Bartlett's χ2 = 1370.61, df = 465, P < .001) extracted ten components explaining 76.05 % of total variance, with Social/Peer Influence (mean = 4.479) and Product/Agronomic Quality (4.353) emerging as dominant purchase-decision factors. The overall Brand Loyalty Index was moderate (3.90), anchored more in Brand Trust (4.02) than in active advocacy or switching resistance, with 56.90 % of farmers falling in the moderate loyalty category. Notably, stated brand preference did not consistently align with actual purchase: Kaveri, the most-preferred brand, recorded the lowest purchase-to-preference ratio (47.4 %), compared with ratios exceeding 90 per cent for Nuziveedu and Sonam, suggesting that dealer-level availability may be more closely associated with repeat buying than brand pull alone. Garrett ranking identified lack of awareness about new hybrid varieties (mean score 71.40) as the foremost constraint, followed by high seed cost (71.04) and inadequate after-sale support (67.90), while physical seed availability was ranked least problematic.

Conclusion: Awareness generation and after-sale technical support, rather than seed availability, emerge as the most limiting constraints on hybrid paddy seed adoption. Marketing and extension strategies centred on social/peer validation, dealer engagement and awareness campaigns for new hybrids are likely to strengthen the purchase funnel and help convert moderate brand trust into stronger repurchase commitment.