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- Title
Price Spread and Marketing Efficiency in the Marketing of High Value Cash Crops in Himachal Pradesh.
- Authors
BALA, BRIJ
- Abstract
The study has been conducted with a view to examine the various marketing channels, costs, margins and price spread in the marketing of vegetables in Himachal Pradesh. The cropping pattern on sampled households was vegetable-dominated with 80 to 86 percent of the total cropped area under vegetables and the cropping intensity was as high as 270 percent. More than 90 percent of the total produce of selected vegetables was marketed surplus. Regional markets were well equipped and were working efficiently. However, market malpractices viz., overcharging for the services like loading/unloading, weighing, grading etc. and under weighing of the produce of farmers prevailed. Fluctuating market prices further aggravated by the lack of market information were also reported to be the major problems. Of the three major channels operative in the study area, channel-III happened to be the most efficient channel. It was also observed that the retailers' margin was the highest among all the market functionaries in all the channels. The producer's share in consumer's rupee varied from 46 percent to 74 percent. The study has emphasized on the adoption of improved technology to enhance the returns from vegetable production. Strengthening of farmers' organizations and cooperative marketing institutions along with the development of infrastructure viz., small scale processing units, roads, transportation and storage facilities, has also been suggested to ensure efficient marketing. A mechanism for proper implementation of the market rules and regulations was strongly needed to be put in place. Promotion of contract farming in the vegetable producing areas was also stressed upon so as to minimize the market related problems of the farming community.
- Subjects
VEGETABLE marketing; CROP sales &; prices; CASH crops; MARKETING channels; AGRICULTURAL contracts
- Publication
Productivity, 2013, Vol 53, Issue 4, p379
- ISSN
0032-9924
- Publication type
Article