(Sample Material) UPSC IAS Mains GS Online Coaching : Paper 3 - "Storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints"

Sample Material of Our IAS Mains GS Online Coaching Programme

Subject: General Studies (Paper 3 - Technology, Economic Development, Bio diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management)

Topic: Storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints

Storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints

• Marketing is an integral part of agriculture, it encourages ‘the farmers to. invest more and increase production
• The simplest form of agricultural marketing is the buying and selling of .the farm produce.
• However , in modern sense , the agricultural produce undergoes a series of exchanges from one hand to another before it finally reaches the consumer.

WHAT IS AGRICULTURE MARKETING?

• According to the National Commission on Agriculture - Agricultural marketing is a process which starts with a decision to produce a saleable farm commodity; involves all aspects of market structure of system, both functional and institutional, based on technical and economic considerations and includes pre and post- harvest operations viz. assembling, grading , storage, transportation and distribution. What is the need for efficient agricultural marketing?Agricultural marketing and industrial marketing :
• Long ago , India agriculture was subsistence farming . With the development of means of transport and storage facilities, agriculture became commercial in character and the peasants grew those crops which fetch them better prices.
• Thus, the cropping pattern is no longer dictated by what a farmer needs for his own personal consumption but what is responsive to the market in terms of prices received by him.
• Further, the trade is organized but farmers are not conversant with, the complexities of the marketing system.. A- farmerish and icapped by several- disabilities a seller and is forced to sells his produce at an unfavourable place, time and price. ‘Due to all these there is a need of an efficient agricultural marketing system.

WHAT SHOULD BE THE OBJECTIVES OF AN EFFICIENT MARKETING SYSTEM?

• To enable farmers to get the best possible returns,
• To provide facilities for selling the produce at an incentive price,
• To reduce the price difference between the pri mary producer and ultimate consumer.
• To make available all products of farm origin to consumers at reasonable price and within reasonable time.

WHAT FACILITIES ARE NEEDED FOR EFFICIENT; AGRICULTURAL MARKETING?

The following basic facilities are required by a farmer.
• Proper storing facilities.
• Holding capacity- to wait till best prices are fetched.
• Adequate and cheap transport facilities so that he is able to reach Mandi rather than disposing it off at his village only.
• Clear and timely information about the market prices so that, he is not cheated.
• Organized and regulated markets so that he is not ripped off by Dalals and Adhtiycts.
• As small as possible number of inter meicrtaries.

PROBLEMS WITH CURRENT MARKETING SYSTEM

Discuss the problems in the agricultural marketing system in India. What steps have been taken to improve it?

IMPROPER STORAGE FACILITIES

• No proper ware ho using facilities in villages. The farmers are forced to store the produce in mud-vessels or katcha storehouses.
• Result of this unscientific storage is either wastage or hastily disposing off the produce.
• Remedy is establishment of Rural Go downs and warehouses. To so me extent, setting up of Central Warehousing Corporation arid State Warehousing Corporation has improved the situation.

LACK OF GRADING AND STANDARDIZATION

• The re i s no pro pe r grad i ng and standardization of farm produce. This leads to Dhara (heap) sales in which all qualities of produce are sold in one common lot.
• Farmer is unable to get better price for better produce and this implies that there are no incentives to use better farm inputs and produce better varieties.
• Thus the f armer producing better qualities is not assured of a better price. Hence there is no incentive to use better seeds and produce better varieties.

INADEQUATE TRANSPORT FACILITIES

• There are highly inadequate transport facilities because only a small number of villages are joined by railways and pucca roads to mandies.
• The result is that farmers carry their produce to Mandi on either bullock carts or other such means. The produce, which is ‘perishable, has to be dumped, to nearby market at considerably low market prices.

To Get Full Material Join General Studies - 3 Online Course

Click Here to Join Online Coaching for IAS Mains General Studies - I, II, III & IV (Combo)

Click Here to Buy IAS Mains General Studies Study Kit in Hard Copy

<<Go Back To Main Page