Answer: 

Introduction:

Agricultural marketing refers to all of the activities, agencies, and policies involved in farmers procuring farm inputs and moving agricultural produce from farms to consumers/manufacturers/exporters.

Body:

There are several constraints to the transport and marketing of agricultural produce in India:

• Increased transportation cost: Due to lack of scale and poor connectivity, transportation cost often tends to go higher.
• Poor infrastructure: India’s transport infrastructure, particularly in rural areas, is often inadequate and poorly maintained. This can make it difficult to transport agricultural products to market in a timely and cost-effective manner.
• Lack of storage facilities: Many farmers in India lack access to adequate storage facilities, which leads to spoilage and waste of agricultural products. This also leads to distress selling of produce.
• Lack of Grading and Standardization: Different varieties of agricultural produce are not graded properly and a heap of all qualities of produce are sold in one common lot. Hence there is no incentive to use better seeds and produce better varieties.
• Limited market access: Many small farmers in India have limited access to formal markets, and are forced to sell their products to middlemen at low prices. This reduces their profitability and discourages investment in agriculture.
• Inadequate Market Information: It is often not possible for the farmers to obtain information on exact market prices in different markets. Even now the number of unregulated markets in the country is substantially large, and here the small farmer has no scope for grievance redressal.

Conclusion:

Agriculture marketing is a key aspect in achieving the goal of doubling farmer’s income. To address the constraints in this aspect, the Indian government has implemented a range of initiatives like ‘Kisan Rail’ service and the ‘Krishi Udaan’ scheme. However, much work remains to be done to fully address these challenges and ensure that farmers are able to reap the full benefits of their labour.

DOWNLOAD PDF