Marketing and technical constraints faced by registered apple fruit growers in adoption of recommended marketing practices: Evidence from Sopore Fruit Mandi, Kashmir

Introduction

The marketing system for apple in Kashmir is characterised by a long chain of private intermediaries and a documented tendency toward collusion among traders to control prices, a structure that disproportionately disadvantages individual, unorganised growers. In the absence of cooperative or group marketing arrangements, growers negotiate individually with commission agents and are more exposed to delayed payments, informal (non-standard) transaction practices, and limited bargaining power. At the same time, technical guidance on storage, spray scheduling and varietal improvementtypically delivered through Area Marketing Officers and Horticulture Development Officersmay not reach growers with adequate frequency, compounding the marketing-side disadvantages with a technical knowledge gap. This study set out to identify and rank both the marketing constraints and the technical constraints experienced by registered apple fruit growers of Sopore fruit mandi in adopting recommended marketing practices.

Review of Literature

The absence of cooperative marketing structures and the prevalence of commission-agent-dominated trade have been widely documented as central constraints in Indian fruit and vegetable marketing, with Motilal Kar (2000) [1] reporting a closely comparable set of marketing constraints among fruit growers in another region. Inadequate technical follow-up by extension functionaries has similarly been identified as a recurring constraint limiting growers' technical competence in post-harvest handling and crop protection, as reported by Padma Rao (1997) [2] .

Materials and Methods

The study was conducted at Sopore fruit mandi, district Baramulla, Kashmir, on a random sample of 150 registered apple fruit growers selected from the Fruit Growers' Association list. Part B of a pre-tested interview schedule elicited grower responses on fifteen pre-identified marketing constraints and five pre-identified technical constraints; data were collected by personal interview during October-November 2015. Frequency and percentage responses were computed for each constraint, which were then ranked in descending order of the percentage of growers reporting them.

Results and Discussion

Marketing constraints

Table 1 and Figure 1 present the fifteen marketing constraints www.extensionjournal.com identified. Lack of fruit growers' cooperative marketing societies was overwhelmingly the most severe constraint, reported by 98 per cent of growers (Rank I). Three constraints the problem of marketing credit and commission-agent monopoly, non-availability of information regarding marketing, and lack of group marketingwere jointly ranked second, each affecting 90 per cent of growers, followed by delay in payment of purchases (88%, Rank III) and lack of transport facilities in rural areas (86%, Rank IV). Low price of apple in the local market and lack of labelling/significant trademark were jointly ranked fifth (84% each), followed by the fake watak-and-hatha system of marketing (82%, Rank VI), lack of organised and regulated markets (80%, Rank VII), lack of cooperatives for produce purchase (76%, Rank VIII), grading problems (66%, Rank IX), non-availability of cold-storage houses nearby (64%, Rank X), exploitation by middlemen (46%, Rank XI) and the problem of proxy grading (40%, Rank XII, the least-cited constraint). These findings mirror Motilal Kar (2000) [1] and collectively point to the absence of collective marketing institutions as the single most disabling structural constraint in this mandi's apple trade.

Technical constraints

Table 2 and Figure 2 present the five technical constraints identified. Irregular visits by Area Marketing Officers and Horticulture Development Officers was the most widely reported technical constraint (88%, Rank I), followed by lack of information about the correct method of sprayer application (82%, Rank II), lack of technical advice on storage of apple produce (74%, Rank III), lack of knowledge about spray schedules (66%, Rank IV) and lack of knowledge about improved apple varieties (34%, Rank V, the least-cited constraint). These findings are consistent with Padma Rao (1997) [2] and indicate that the frequency and quality of fieldlevel extension contactrather than the growers' basic willingness to adoptis the primary technical bottleneck limiting improved marketing practice in this mandi. www.extensionjournal.com

Conclusion

The absence of fruit growers' cooperative marketing societies, commission-agent monopoly over credit and pricing, and poor availability of marketing information stand out as the most severe marketing constraints faced by registered apple fruit growers in Sopore fruit mandi, while irregular extension contact and gaps in spray/storage-related technical guidance are the dominant technical constraints.

Promoting grower cooperatives and group-marketing arrangements, regulating commission-agent practices, and strengthening the frequency and content of Area Marketing Officer/Horticulture Development Officer field visits would together address the two most binding structural bottlenecks identified in this study, complementing the economic and supply-side interventions needed to fully realise the benefits of recommended apple marketing practices.

References

1. Motilal Kar D. Marketing constraints in fruit and vegetable trade: A case study. Indian Journal of Agricultural Marketing; 2000.
2. Padma Rao K. Technical constraints in adoption of recommended horticultural practices. Journal of Extension Education; 1997.
3. Asghar S. Study of supply chain management and marketing of apple in Kashmir region of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Master's Thesis). Professor Jayshankar Telangana State Agricultural University, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad. 2015.
4. Wani SA, Kumar S, Naqash F, Shaheen FA, Wani FJ, Rehman HU. Potential of apple cultivation in doubling farmer's income through technological and market interventions: An empirical study in Jammu & Kashmir. Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics. 2021 Jun 1;76(2):278-91.