Colocasia Production and Marketing Channels: Evidence from Punjab
Published by: Admin
Authors: Sukhdeep Singh, H K Mavi, Gurleen Kaur and Anurag Chaudhary
Abstract
The study was undertaken to examine the economic aspects, marketing channels and constraints faced by the Colocasia growers in Punjab during the year 2024-25. Large farmers achieved the highest benefit–cost ratio (1.52) along with the maximum net returns of Rs. 40,963 per acre. Among marketing channels, channel I (Producer-Retailer-Consumer) emerged as the most efficient, with a marketing efficiency of 0.83 and the highest producer share of 45.43 per cent. Farmers faced difficulties in production due to limited availability of important inputs like DAP and urea during sowing, shortage of labour and rising labour costs at the time of harvest. On the marketing front, unfair practices by the intermediaries and inadequate price discovery were the major constraints. To improve farmers’ income, interventions such as ensuring timely availability of inputs, strengthening of marketing infrastructure, and providing training on value addition and processing activities are recommended.