Investigations on different aspects of potato marketing in Punjab state of India

Abstract

The present study was conducted on various aspects of potato marketing in Hoshiarpur district of Punjab. The information related to marketing system, price spread and problems related to production and marketing of potato was obtained from a sample of 63 small, 27 medium and 18 large farmers. The results revealed that about 98 per cent of the respondents had exclusively tubewell irrigation, whereas about two per cent of them had both canal as well as tubewell irrigation. The average size of operational holdings of the potato growers was about 19 acres. Per holding consumption of potato was about seven per cent of the production and the marketable surplus was high to the extent of about 93 per cent. The maximum number of selected farmers sold their produce in the village or farms itself followed by sale at the wholesale market. There have been inter-year fluctuations in the arrival of potato. The arrival of potato was maximum in the post-harvest period. The high transportation cost has emerged as one of the major marketing constraints of the potato farmers. The extension agencies need to advice the farmers to store potatoes in cold stores to fetch higher prices in the lean season.