Marketing Agricultural Produces: A Literature Study of India

Marketing infrastructure includes all those facilities and amenities needed for the smooth conduct of marketing in the economy. In this paper an attempt has been made to examine the status of different agricultural marketing infrastructures, their geographical spread in the different states of India and also the policy measures for strengthening of these infrastructural facilities. The infrastructural facilities in development are as necessary as foundations of a building. The existence of adequate marketing infrastructure are important not only for the performance of various marketing functions and expansion of the size of the markets but also for the transfer of appropriate price signals leading to improved marketing efficiency. The availability of different infrastructures affects the choice of technology to be adopted, reduces the cost of transportation, produces powerful impetus to production and also affects income distribution in favor of small and marginal farmers by raising their access to the market. The agriculture sector needs heavy investment for creation of basic infrastructures necessary for the overall economic development. In a developing country like India, marketing infrastructures play a pivotal role in fostering and sustaining the tempo of rural and economic development. Marketing is as critical to better performance in agriculture as farming itself. Though the role of infrastructure is the key element of any development programme, yet their role in distribution and marketing is the supreme. Key Words: Appropriate; Distribution; Improved; Infrastructure; Supreme