Marketing Analysis of the Commercial Cultivars of Apple in Mountainous and Inaccessible Areas of Chenab Valley

Abstract

The study attempted to examine the marketing structure and efficiency of the commercial cultivars of apple from mountainous and inaccessible areas of Chenab valley which falls under the Jammu province of Jammu and Kashmir state. To achieve the objectives of the study both primary and secondary data were used. The primary data were collected by interviewing the apple growers as well as different market functionaries directly through an especially prepared and pre-tested schedule. The data collected were tabulated and analyzed for examining the marketing cost, margins, price spread, and marketing efficiency through appropriate statistical/functional approaches to arrive at the results and make meaningful inferences. The producers received a higher proportion of consumer’s prices as net returns in channels with a lower number of intermediaries. The results revealed that the net price received by the farmers decreased considerably with an increase in the number of intermediaries in the marketing chain of apple. It was observed that the present system of marketing was not an efficient one. The findings advocated for the removal of the inefficiencies/deficiencies in the existing marketing system for the future progress and prosperity of the apple industry at all the marketing levels.