SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT OF POMEGRANATE IN CHITRADURGA DISTRICT OF KARNATAKA

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) belongs to family Punicaceae and is a favourite table fruit of the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. It grows in a wide range of climatic conditions and can grow up to 1800 meters above mean sea level. The main objectives of the study are to analyse forward linkages, backward linkages in the pomegranate supply chain. A sample of 90 pomegranate growers and 8 traders from Chitradurga district of Karnataka were selected purposively for the detailed enquiry. The results revealed that the main source of credit to the pomegranate growers was from Government banks, followed by PACS, Private Banks and traders. Ninety eight percent of the growers approached private consultants for varietal information and 80 % consulted departmental officers for INM and IPM information. For market information, all the respondents accessed traders and Television. The Producer – Distant market wholesaler was the major marketing channel as 60 % of the growers sold through this route followed by Producer - Exporter channel (23.3 %). The study indicated that the crop has good commercial potential and the area under this crop is significantly increasing in the study area. Hence, government should plan for establishing new processing units; provide scientific storage facilities and forward linkage in the region to safeguard the interest of pomegranate growers.