An economic analysis of arrivals and prices of oilseed crops at APMCS of Chhattisgarh, India

Abstract

Agriculture value returns impinge upon a farmer's income, agricultural markets and marketing efficiency become critical. In the light of the Government's vision to double farmer's income by 2022, it entails an urgent need to revisit the existingmarket structure ofthe country and bring in a more competitive marketing environment. In Chhattisgarh, APMCs are responsible for the marketing of the agricultural produce. The present study was undertaken to examine the trends in arrival and prices of major commodities in selected APMCs of Chhattisgarh i.e. Jashpur, Raigarh,Saraipali, Rajim, Gariaband, Kanker, Mungeli, Kawardha, Rajnandgaon, Bhatapara, Kondagaon and Jagdalpur for 5 years from 2013-14 to 2017-18. Annual arrival of oilseeds in Chhattisgarh state were examined and observed that the soybean contributed about 94.51 % of the total arrivals of oilseeds in APMC followed by til and groundnut. It was observed that the seasonality in market arrivals and prices was quite evident in month of March, April and May. At the Mandi, no system of pricing commensurate fair average quality of the commodities. This results in inconclusive price expressions based on differentiated lots. In order to overcome this, Mandi should keep recordsof all the lots auctioned based on quality parameters. Procurement by MARKFED is limited only to select commodities in select pockets of Chhattisgarh state at MSP. Whereas Mandi facilitate marketing of wide range of commodities under open auction system, usually at bid prices lower than the MSP for almost all commodities.