Contribution Of APMC’s In Agricultural Marketing- A Study On Arecanut Farmer Perspective In Malenadu Region

Abstract

Arecanut farmers in Malenadu region face marketing challenges such as limited market access, fluctuating prices, and lack of proper storage facilities. Due to the remote location of the Malenadu region, Arecanut farmers often struggle to reach wider markets, resulting in limited opportunities to sell their produce. Additionally, the prices of Arecanut can be highly volatile, making it difficult for farmers to predict their income. Moreover, the absence of adequate storage facilities leads to post-harvest losses, further affecting the profitability of the farmers. The government established APMC's (Agricultural Produce Market Committees) to regulate and streamline the agricultural market system in the country. These committees were set up to ensure fair trade practices and protect the interests of both farmers and consumers. By providing a platform for farmers to sell their produce at competitive prices and ensuring transparency in transactions, APMC's have played a crucial role in stabilizing agricultural markets and promoting economic growth in the agricultural sector. The study's primary objectives were to determine farmers' expectations from the APMC's performance as well as to identify issues related to the APMC's operation and functioning. 50 Farmers from Uttara Kannada district, specifically the Sirsi, siddapura and Yellapura region were chosen on convenience sampling basis. Using a well-structured questionnaire in regional laguage, the researchers gather the responses of the participants' opinions, which were analysed using the SPSS Ver 22 and AMOS Ver 25 software packages. In order to validate the functions of APMCs in terms of Farmer satisfaction, SEM analysis was performed. The results of the study indicate that some of the functions such as market accessibility; auction system and storage facilities are not contributing to farmer satisfaction and require immediate action by the government to improve these functions.