Vol. 11, Special Issue 5 (2022)

Author(s):
Madhusudan Tiwari and Ramchandra

Abstract:
The purpose of the study was to identify marketing channels, price spreads, marketing margins and marketing efficiency of soybean Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh, India. The primary data were collected only for soybean by survey method. The study was focused on 80 soybean farmers. It was conducted in sagar district of Madhya Pradesh having highest area under cultivation and production. The selection of channel actors was made using two stage stratified random sampling technique. Three major marketing channels identified in the study were (I) producer-wholesaler- processor- Retailer - consumer (II) producer- village trader- wholesale - processor (III) producer - village trader- wholesaler- processor the farmers had to incur high expenses towards packing material and transportations whereas for other intermediaries in all the channels, weight loss and spoilage followed by transportation were the major marketing cost. The price spread was low in channel II as the produce was sold to the retailer directly by the farmer. The channel I had the highest marketing efficiency. Comparing channel I, II and III it was revealed that relatively lower marketing efficiency of channel II was due to one additional intermediary (commission agent). The paper provides the information for selecting right marketing channel for soybean marketing. The paper also provides empirical information that serves as a source to adopt market options for increased benefits to various chain actors.