Ceteris Paribus in Agricultural Marketing: Need for Focus on Functional Aspects Case of Tomato Marketing in Kolar Mandi of Karnataka State, India

Despite over 60 years of history, the problems of agricultural marketing in India are either persisting since independence or mutated into newer forms, while newer problems have crept in. Majority of farmers still subscribe to the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) as their most accessible channel to sell their produce. The present study was undertaken in Kolar APMC market of Karnataka state, India and used both primary and secondary data. The present study empirically prove that tomato arrival in market is underreported, which could give false signals to policy makers and thus lead to over production, market inefficiency and welfare loss to farmers, market and state as well. Recording detailed data by quality or grade would make it more useful and relevant. The causes and repercussions of underreporting and some of the functional aspects of market are discussed. Prioritization of market development activities, use of qualified manpower, automation, etc. are some of the issues to be addressed. There is a need to study the repurcussions of simultaneous auction, rate of market fee, modalities of financing by market intermediaries to create win-win situation for all stakeholders. Acknowledgement : Authors acknowledge the final year bachelor degree students of the College of Horticulture, Kolar (2015-16) for providing their assistance in data collection. We deeply acknowledge the support extended by the officers of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee, Kolar. The support given by the University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot for carrying out the study, is acknowledged.