Market Development in Agriculture

Excerpts from the report: The objective of market expansion is to increase aggregate sales in order to improve returns to those who produce and market agricultural products. While market expansion implies an increased quantity of food sold and consumed; it often takes the form of improved quality, as in substitution of livestock products for corn meal or cereals. The problem of market development has many dimensions. It pervades the entire marketing system and extends all the way back to the farmer. Market development begins with farmers producing the right products of the highest possible quality. The marketing system is expected to aid farmers in doing this by operating an efficient pricing mechanism and utilizing market research to guide production along desired lines. Moreover, the system is expected to move farm products from producer to consumer in an orderly manner at reasonable prices while maintaining quality. This involves a whole range of marketing activities, such as standardizing and grading, sanitation, processing, transportation, and marketing research. The coordination of all of these activities is an important part of the market development process. This discussion focuses mainly on those aspects of market development relating to sales promotion, and food assistance programs