Marketing dynamics and efficiency of ajwain production in Chittorgarh district, Rajasthan

Abstract

This study investigated the marketing dynamics of ajwain production in the Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan. A sample of 80 ajwain growers from four villages was selected using stratified simple random sampling. Primary data were gathered through a pre-tested questionnaire to analyze marketing practices, channels, price spread, the producer’s share of the consumer’s rupee, and challenges faced by growers in the production and marketing of ajwain. The Nimach mandi was purposively selected to examine marketing practices. Data collected from growers and traders for the 2018-19 crop year revealed that the overall marketable surplus was 15.35 quintals per farm, while the marketed surplus was 15.40 quintals per farm, indicating a forced sale of the product. Four marketing channels were identified for ajwain. The marketing costs per quintal were ?1764.40, ?1563.16, ?483.27, and ?281.14 for channel-I, channel-II, channel-III, and channel-IV, respectively. Channel-IV had the lowest marketing costs, while channel-I had the highest. Marketing margins were highest in channel-III (?1151.28 per quintal) and lowest in channel-II (?507.21 per quintal), with the price spread being the widest in channel-I and narrowest in channel-IV. The producer’s net share of the consumer’s rupee varied based on the length of the channel and the type of intermediaries involved, reaching a maximum of 97.33% in channel-IV and a minimum of 80.44% in channel-I.