Estimating price spread and identifying problems in marketing of pear

The study revealed that the net price received by the selected farmers of Poonch district of J&K was ‘502.43 per qt. which was about 25.12% of the price paid by the consumers of Jammu market in June 2008. The margin of the contractor and retailer was about 36.71% and 15.84%, respectively in Jammu market. In Rajouri market, however, the contractor and retailer get 34.54% and 15.74%, respectively of the price paid by the consumer. In the local market, the net price received by the producer was 40.34% and 45.37% of price paid by the consumer in two alternate channels. It is also observed that the low per cent of producer’s share in consumer’s rupee was due to the non-availability of an organized market in Poonch and therefore, it is suggested that among the top three important constraints, ‘absence of organized market’ for fruits is the most important constraint in the marketing of pear as perceived by the respondent growers, followed by “lack of finance” and “little marketed surplus”. Considering prevailing market conditions, it is suggested that the growers should follow co-operative marketing to make selling easy and more profitable for individual and small farmers. The group marketing will reduce various marketing costs, decrease share of middlemen and will increase producer’s share in consumers’ rupee. Consequently both producers as well as consumers shall gain.