Characterization and Analysis of Fair Sellers in the Municipality of Janaúba in the North of Minas Gerais, Brazil

The objective of this work was to characterize and analyze the marketers who market their products at the Janaúba free trade fairs regarding the socioeconomic profile, business management, marketed products and difficulties in marketing. The research was descriptive. The data were collected by means of field survey in the main points where the free fairs in the municipality of Janaúba occur. The obtained data were analyzed through the distribution of frequencies and tables. Farmers are mostly family farmers who do not receive any kind of technical assistance or training to run the crop. They apply their own resources to cover the expenses and investments in production, having as a limiting factor the expansion of the business. Most do not control profitability, and of the percentage that does, only 7% use spreadsheet, do not have financial reserves in case of unforeseen occurrences. The values of the products marketed are almost always uncertain, since 81% of the marketers say that prices are negotiable. The main products marketed are fruits and vegetables, not being processed. Among the difficulties pointed out by the fairgrounds for the execution of the activity are the production costs. Regarding the structure of the Municipal Market, the main negative points were the lack of assistance (32%) and the lack of cleanliness (31%). The main improvement point was the availability of drinking water and the construction of bathrooms.