Constraints faced by sapota growers in production and marketing in Palghar district of Maharashtra

Abstract

The present study examined the major constraints faced by sapota growers in production and marketing in Palghar district of Maharashtra. Palghar district was selected purposively because of its importance in sapota cultivation. The study covered 144 sapota growers selected from Dahanu, Talasari and Palghar tahsils. Four villages were selected from each tahsil and 12 growers were selected randomly from each village. The growers were classified into small (64), medium (47) and large (33) farm groups. Primary data were collected through personal interviews for the financial year 2024–25. Constraints were assessed using mean scores and ranks, with a higher mean score indicating greater perceived severity. At the overall level, pest and disease problems were the most serious production constraint, followed by non-availability of labour during harvesting and non-remunerative prices. In marketing, seasonal price fluctuation ranked first, followed by perishability of produce and lack of market information. The findings indicate that strengthening integrated pest and disease management, ensuring timely harvesting labour and farm inputs, improving market information, reducing post-harvest losses, and strengthening storage and transport facilities are important for improving the profitability of sapota growers in the study area.