1.

INTRODUCTION
1.1 Market Intelligence

Meaning and Definition:

Market intelligence is defined as the information or data that is derived by an
organization from themarket it operates in or wants to operate in, to help determine
market segmentation, market penetration, market opportunity, and existing market
metrics. Market intelligence is a vital aspect tounderstand the state of the market, as
well as helps collect competitor intelligence which in turn aids towards becoming
profitable. Marketing intelligence is the external data collected by a company about a
specific market which itwishes to enter, to make decisions. It is the first set of data
which the company analyses before making any investment decision.
Marketing intelligence is usually the first data set analyzed by a company about a
specific market. It could be related to population age in that area, infrastructure
facilities, spending habits of consumers, state or government regulations etc. Marketing
intelligence is all about gathering information on various data sets, analyzing the
information, breaking down the data into small subsets and the distribution of
information to the relevant department of the company.
A purchase department in a company would need a different data set under marketing
intelligence,while a sales department would need something different. There are four
main corner stones of marketing intelligence. The first one is competitor intelligence,
the others are product intelligence, market understanding and customer understanding.
Let’s understand each one of them in detail. Competitor intelligence is a legal method
of obtaining information about products in a competitor’sportfolio. It is about
analyzing strengths and weaknesses of the competitor.
The basic goal of competitive intelligence is to make better business decisions. Product
Intelligence is related to gathering information about your own product. The focus
around product intelligence is on gathering information about the quality and
performance of the product. This is usually an automated process. With the help of this
knowledge, the company tries and makes the user experience better or makes changes
in the product itself to make it safer or add new features.
1.1 Market Intelligence in Agriculture

There has been transformation in agriculture from the stage of subsistence into market
oriented due to the changes in the economy and the changed farm households
requirements other than the fulfilling the need for the food.
Today’s agriculture has been metamorphosised into market led agriculture rather than the
production oriented one. The
Market led agriculture need entirely different approach, where the market led research
and market extension are two eyes of market led agriculture. In agriculture the pioneering
institute like Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and some other state agricultural
universities and few private institutions have been initiated basic works on market
intelligent and provide market information to the farmers. The results have been reaching
the farmers in the rural areas and create tremendous effect in achieving the objective of
good profit and improvement in the livelihood status of the farmers. However there are
many hurdles in the market intelligence of agriculture which makes it a tedious and
affects the effectiveness of the market intelligence.
The major problems faced were the unavailability of the past data, improper maintenance
of the present data, large variations in the quality of produce, impact of the globalization,
liberalization etc. Perceiving the importance, the Tamil Nadu Government in 12 Five
Year Plan has focused on the capacity building and knowledge sharing among the
farmers on market intelligence, price forecast and providing crop advisory and market led
extension activities through Agri Marketing Intelligence and Business Promotion Centers
1.1 Agricultural Market Intelligence Centre

The agricultural market environment is changing with unprecedented speed and in

very diverse wayslocally and globally. These dynamics affect farm prices and thereby
farm income. The majority of the rural producers are unable to understand and
interpret the market and price behaviour to their advantages. Hence, market
information and intelligence are crucial to enable farmers and traders tomake informed
decisions about what to grow, when to sell, and where to sell.

The most important marketing information input required by a farmer in the current
scenario is the price intelligence. Successful marketing of high value produce like
cotton, chilli and other crops, need to have a fairly good understanding of markets,
prices and consumer preferences by the stakeholders. Most farmers still lack a good
understanding on these aspects. Keeping this fact in mind, an Agricultural Market
Intelligence Centre has been established at Professor Jayashankar Maharashtra State
Agricultural University, Pune the financial support from the Agricultural Marketing
Department, Government of Maharashtra to disseminate timely, comprehensive,
currentand future price information on agricultural commodities for better
decisionmaking by farming community, traders, firms, researchers and policy makers.
Crops covered
Paddy ,Maize ,Jowar ,Bajra, Ragi ,Green gram ,Redgram ,Groundnut ,Soybean
,Sunflower,Castor ,Cotton Chilli,Turmeric, Black gram ,Bengal Gram etc.
 1.2 Need for Market Intelligence in Agriculture

1. There is an excess intermediary in the marketing channel, which makes the supply
chainlengthier than the optimum.
2. This makes the system as inefficient and provides less income to the farmers and also
morecostly to the consumer.
3. In order to solve these problems there is a need for clear market information so as to
providethe knowledge and information to the farmers and also to the consumers.
4. It is inevitable that, in almost in all sectors the market intelligence gaining importance.
5. Considerable studies has been made in the market intelligence of the consumable
goods as well as in engineering products, but in case of agriculture and allied sectors
there was no much effort, very little researches have been taken up on the market
intelligence in agricultural sector.
6. Still there are many questions which need to be address in agricultural marketing
intelligence to what extent the available marketing intelligence has been used by the
farmers? What is the market intelligence the traders use for discovering the prices?
How important is the market intelligence for agricultural sector? What will make the
farmers to gain the knowledge of marketing? In order to answer these questions there
is a need for research at the gross root level.

1.3 Components of Market Intelligence

Market Intelligence system refers to systematic collection and processing of information
from all the relevant sources to ascertain the changing trends in the agricultural
marketing environment. Insimple words, the producer/ farmer/ trader gathers data
from all the available sources and process these into meaningful information that can
be used in critical decision making. In order to obtain the market intelligence the
farmer/ producer/ trader make use of primary and secondary sources like newspapers,
magazines, books, trade publications, social media, and feedback from customers,
suppliers, distributors who cover the entire gamut of an market conditions. The higher
the information gathered, the accurate and specific would be the reports generated on
the basis of whichefficiency of marketing could be enhanced.
 Fig : Component of Market Intelligence

Components of Market Intelligence

It constitutes basically four major components:
1. Price: It provides information about prevailing prices of different commodities in
future basedupon present and past conditions.
2. Product: It provides information about important features of product which make it
distinguishedin the market to get better prices.
3. Place: It gives intelligence about place or market where the commodity would
fetch better prices.

4. Period: It provides information about right time period at which sale of produce
would providehigh returns
1.4 Importance of Market Intelligence

Market intelligence is vital to the success of any organization, being the foundation on
which all marketing is based. Effective use of market intelligence involves the
collection of data, analysis and end use of the information. Market intelligence helps
you to become customer- centric, understand the market demands and consumer
opinions, collect real-time relevant data, boost your upselling opportunities, reduce
risks, capture higher market shares and gives you a competitive advantage. These
benefits are crucial to the success of any business and hence marketintelligence is one
of the most crucial elements in executing effective plans for the prosperity of any
business.
Following are a few points, to understand why market intelligence is crucial to any
business.

1. To understand your position in the market - Collecting market intelligence

through surveys allows you to understand the market in-depth. It will give you insights
into what the competitors are doing, what is the market demand and who will be your
target audience and many more. Analyzing this information will enable a company to
evaluate its position in the market and makestrategies accordingly.
2. To evaluate your product - Conducting marketing intelligence surveys will give
you actionable insights on the product trends in the market, the demand for specific
features and product specification currently in demand. Such information helps you to
evaluate your product and makewise business decisions accordingly.
3. To know your target audience - Gathering market intelligence will allow a
company to understand the needs of the audience and using surveys, businesses can
shortlist their target audience for specific products/services.
4. To conduct competitor analysis - Market intelligence is a vast field. Conducting
surveys to gather intelligence about your competitors is vital in today’s business
environment. Using such information, businesses can modify their products as per the
need, understand competitors failuresor successes, and devise strategies based on the
competitor’s position.
1.5 Impact on agriculture of Market Intelligence

1. The impact of Marketing intelligence use in agriculture lead to increase in

farmer’s income, reduction of post harvest loses and increase in consumer
satisfaction. Marketing intelligence help in better and efficient allocation of
productive resources.

2. The bargaining power of farmers with traders as well as share of farmer’s in

consumer rupees couldalso be improved. The reduction in risks associated could lead
to reduction of transaction costs (i.e.the costs of selling the produce).

3. The marketing intelligence would help farmers in deciding the market as well as
marketing channel.With the help of market intelligence farmers can switch to high
value crops that would generate better returns for them.

4. The traders mostly dependent on marketing intelligence to gain competitive

position in marketingof agricultural commodities .

5. The market intelligence can proved to be helpful when State-controlled

marketing system switchedover to private enterprise in such cases that farmers and
small traders are made more aware of market opportunities It also proved useful in
assisting the consumer’s bargaining power as it provides information on retail prices
as well.

6. The policy marking in agriculture marketing also improved with the help of
market intelligence. MI is also served as component of Early Warning Systems for
ensuring food security as it can assistin identifying areas of possible expansions of
marketing activities and can highlight whether pricesare above or below normal
seasonal trends.
2. Research Methodology
2.1 Data collection

Some basic data collection methodologies for Market intelligence are as follows:

A) Primary Data

2. Surveys
Survey research involves a set of questions put together in a concise manner to
gather data from the target market and analyze the same to create valuable market
intelligence. The larger the groupof people, the more reliable are the results. There
are various methods in which surveys can be conducted depending on what
information needs to be collected.

a) Online Surveys - These are the best and one of the most economical methods to
get data in a swiftmanner. Such surveys have been associated with unreliable data,
but with newer tools coming intothe market, this method has become very popular
and reliable, to get real-time data fast. Furthermore, the majority of the target
audience already prefers online communication, hence online surveys are the best
method to gather market intelligence

3. Questionnaires - A questionnaire is a series of questions asked in a printed or

online format to conduct research. They can be used for qualitative as well as
quantitative research and can be usedto gather data from a large set of audience.

4. Personal Interviews - Interviews are generally an expensive affair but provide

valuable, reliable information. Such a method is used to understand in-depth about a
particular topic or a product. They are unstructured open-ended questionnaires and
can last to an hour. However, since they aredone on an individual basis, such a
method is not preferred to gather market information, as it willnot represent the
market as a whole.
5.Observation - Sometimes the data gathered through other types will not give you

reliable data orwon’t give you insights about the customer attitudes or buying behavior. In
such a case the observation method provides you with information such as habits of the
customer, buying patterns, customer preferences such as quality or price, etc. Understanding
this information will enable acompany to sell better and make changes in their products
according to the demand.
B) Secondary Data

C) The secondary data was collected from the following sources.

1. Government website
The information share on websites are mostly not regulated and as such may be not
trusted compared to other sources. However , there are some regulated website that
only share authentic data and can be trusted by researchers.
Most of these websites are usually government websites or private organizations that
are paid,data collectors.
The following Government website are used for collection of secondary data.
1. www.msamb.com
2. agmarknet.gov.in
3. www .commodityonline.com

2. Government records
Government records are a very important and authentic source of secondary data . They
containinformation useful in marketing , management, humanities , and social science
research.
Some of these records include ; census data, health records, education institute records
etc.They are usually collected to aid proper planning, allocation of funds , and
prioritizing of projects.

3. Books
Books are one of the most traditional ways of collection data. Today’s there are books
available for all topics you can of. When carrying out research, all you have to do is
look for a bookon the topic being researched on, then select form the available
repository of books in that area. Books, when carefully chosen are an authentic data can
be useful in preparing a literature review.
2.2Data Analysis:-

The data collected from both primary and secondary was processed and reduced to
simple tables in order to present the matter clearly. The suitable financial statement
analysis techniques were used to draw the correct conclusion. Ratio analysis, which is
most powerful and universally, used technique for the analysis of financial performance
of APMCs in Nashik. Analysis of variance technique is employed to test whether there
is any statistical significance
in sales in different markets.Apart from this,averages and percentages are used. Graphs, maps,
chart and diagrammatic representation of data was suitably employed to highlight the
significance ofthedata.
 2.1 Review of Literature

This aspect covers the organizational set up as per provisions made under "Maharashtra
AgriculturalProduce Marketing (Regulation)" Act 1963 and rules 1967.

Ajjan (1986) conducted a study of regulated markets in Tamil Nadu-a melody-remedy

analysis. He studied 13 market committees and 246 regulated markets in the state. He observed
that there were real operational difficulties rather than the structural defects.
Jain (1998) studied the structure and market functions of the Regulated Market, Raipur
in Madhya Pradesh State. He pointed out that the marketing efficiency measured in terms of
better prices to the producers, lowermarketing charges and availability of adequate market
facilities were relatively better in the regulated market.

Krishna and Rao (1983) conducted a study on marketing of agricultural produce in Bihar state.
They found that there was only one regulated market place dealing with both collection of
agricultural commodities and its distribution. These operations were being done throughout the
year; Market charges were less than those before establishment of regulated market. Commission
charges formed 90% of the total market charges. Regarding other amenities, no facilities such as
banking, postal services etc. This was mainly due to lack of space required for providing such
amenities. They also concluded that there was need to establish such markets in other places of
the state, so that the farmers need not travel much for marketing their produce. They also
suggested that the proper infrastructural facilities must be provided to enable the farmers to
transport their produce to the market place at low cost.

Shrinivasan (1997) studied organizational and management effectiveness of market

committees and regulatedmarkets in Tamil Nadu. In this study, he evaluated the
managerial and organizational effectiveness of 14 district market committees and 140
regulated markets in Tamil Nadu. From this study, he concluded that themanagement
effectiveness was found to be good particularly in heavy arrival and medium arrival
committees.As against this, it was poor in all low arrival markets.

Ponnambalam R.(2001) viewed that the efficient management of the market is the main
solution to increase the revenue to the Market Committees. Efficient management leads to the
pricing efficiency, physical efficiency, service facilities, and lesser marketing cost which
automatically increases the financial efficiency of the markets. He further viewed that the
Executives involving in the management of market should be made expert in the management
process by imparting proper training. The administrators of varying interest of Market
Committee should also be trained in the perspective market planning and policy decisions on
effective market regulation.ssz
 3.
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
 3.1. SELECTION OF MARKET

Agriculture Produce Market Committee

(APMC), NashikRegulated market
Under the traditional system of marketing of the agricultural products, producer-sellers incurred
a high marketing cost, and suffered from unauthorized deductions of marketing charges and the
prevalence of various malpractices. To improve marketing conditions and with a view to
creating fair competitive conditions, the increase in the bargaining power of producer-sellers
was considered to be the most important prerequisite of orderly marketing. Most of the defects
and malpractices under, the then existing marketing system of agricultural products have been
more or less removed by the exercise of public control over markets, i.e., by the establishment
of regulated markets in country.

Definition
Regulated market is a market over which government bodies or, less commonly, industry or
labor groups, exert a level of oversight and control. Market regulation is often controlled by the
government and involves determining who can enter the market and the prices they may charge
A regulated market is one which aims at the elimination of the unhealthy and unscrupulous
practices, reducing marketing charges and providing facilities to producer- sellers in the market.
Any legislative measure designed to regulate the marketing of agricultural produce in order to
establish, improve and enforce standard marketing practices and charges may be termed as one
which aims at the establishment of regulated markets.Regulated markets have been established
by State Governments and rules and regulations have been framed for the conduct of their
business. The basic philosophy of the establishment regulated markets is the elimination of
malpractices
in the system and assignment of dominating power to the farmers or their
representatives in the function of the markets
Objectives
The specific objectives of regulated markets are:
1. To prevent the exploitation of farmers by overcoming the handicaps in the marketing
of their products
2. To make the marketing system most effective and efficient so that farmers may get
better prices for theirproduce, and the goods are made available to consumers at
reasonable prices
3. To provide incentive prices to farmers for inducing them to increase the production
both in quantitative andqualitative terms .
4. To promote an orderly marketing of agricultural produce by improving the
infrastructural facilities.

Important features of regulated markets

Under the provisions of the agricultural produce market act, the state government gives its
intention to bring a particular area under regulation by notifying market areas, market
yard, main assembling market andsub market yard, if any, under the principle regulated
market.
The meaning of these terms is explained in the following paragraph
1. Market area: The area from which the produce naturally and abundantly flows to a
commercial center,i.e., the market, and which assures adequate business and income to the
market committee
2. Principle assembling market: It is the main market which is declared as a principal
market yard on thebasis of transactions and income generated for the market committee
3. Sub market yard: It is sub yard of the principle assembling market. This is a small
market and does notgenerate sufficient income to declare as a principal assembling market
4. Market yard: This is a specified portion of the market area where the sale, purchase,
storage andprocessing of any of the specified agricultural commodities are carried out.
3.1 General Information of APMC, Nashik.
Name and address of unit: Agriculture Produce Marketing
Committee, sharad Chandra pawar market yard, peth road Tal. Nashik
Dist. Nashik.
Main Market Yard: Nashik (Nimani)
Sub - Market Yard: Sharad Chandra pawar market yard, peth road,
nashik,
Establishment year: 21/11/1952
Market work area: Main
Nashik Market Yard Information

Particulars Market area (ha)

Nashik-Panchwati main market 7.34
Nashik road sub -market 6.65
Harsul sub-market 3.93
Trambak sub- market 0.53
Peth road sub-market 24.8

Commodities Marketed

Fruits: Mango, Guava, Banana, Grapes, Apple, Pomogranate, Orange, Sweet lime,
Lemon, Watermelon, Muskmelon, Amla, Custard apple, Pineapple, Bore, Lichi,
Tamarind.
3.3 Structure of Main Market Yard
Sub- market (Nashik)
3.4 Amenities available in APMC, Nashik
Sr. No Particular Quantity

1 Auction Hall 5

2 Weigh Bridge 1
3 Godowns 4
4 Canteens 1
5 Roads 3
6 Drinking Water 1
7 Post office 1
8 Warehouse 2
9 Toilet 4
10 Security 4

Table gives information about that amenitities provided by the APMC Nashik
like canteens, roads, drinking water, weigh bridge etc.

Functions of Market Committee

1. It is a marketing committee which operates under the State Governments in
India.

2. The APMC was introduced to safeguard the farmers from exploitation by

creditors and other intermediaries.

3. The committee also ensures that the farm to retail price does not reach
unreasonably elevated levels and timely payments are made to the farmers via the
auctions in the APMC markets.

4. Before the introduction of the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce

(Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the farmers can only sell their agricultural
produce at the market yards of APMC.
5. The complete management of the market rests with the ‘Market
Committee’.

6. The committee issues licenses to the commission agents, weigh men, and
other functionaries.
7. Weighment is properly is done by the weigh men appointed by the
committee.
3.5 Methods of sale in APMC, Nashik
Open auction method

In programmatic, open auction is the official term for real-time bidding (RTB). In an
open auction (open marketplace), inventory prices are decided in real-time through an
auction and any publishes or advertiser can participate. Essentially, publishers make
their media inventory available in an ad exchange at a specific minimum cost per
thousand (CPM) price and advertisers bid against one another for the available media
that they desire. The highest bidder wins the impressions.
If you are looking for the most cost-effective way to buy media with access to the
largest audience, open auctions could be the way to go.
Grading

The grading activities are already performed by the farmer, there are no facilities for
grading in the market yard . Grading is done according to the specifications suggested
by APMC market. Grading for leafy vegetables is done simply by removing diseased
vegetable part. In case of vegetables like cucumber, cucurbits, tomato and such short
shelf life vegetables grading is done by sorting according to size, shape and colour and
also by removing diseased and spoiled vegetables. In case of commodities like potato,
onion and garlic grading is done by sorting into grades of different size and quality.
Benefits to farmers

1. To farmers get the fair prices (minimum prices) for the produce, as the
intermediaries are not able to indulge malpractices.
2. Correct weight of the produce
3. Storage facilities for agricultural produce.
4. Ethical practices in selling the prodocei.e. open auction and open arrangement.
5. Maintenance of daily list of prices of commodities for the benefit of farmers.
6. Immediate payment after disposal of the produce.
3.6 Process of sale the agriculture produce in the APMC market :

Fig : Process of sale the Agriculture produce in the APMC market

3.7 APMC Market Working

All the traders work on a commission basis. They have a fixed ceiling on the amount of
commission that they can charge. This varies from commodity to commodity. The
commission is charged on the selling price of the farmers. They are thus called
commission agents. The purchaser pays a levy of 0.8% on the amount purchased to the
commission agent. This includes a market fee of 0.75%, and a 0.05% maintenance fee
Both the receipts are then forwarded to the market yard office by the commission office.
System of Sale in APMC Market

1. Wholesaler-to-Wholesaler
2. Wholesaler-to-Agents
3. Wholesaler-to-Corporate
4. Wholesaler-to-Consumers

Participants of the Nashik APMC Market

1. Producers/Seller (farmers): These are the ones who are not directly involved in the
working but are the part of the whole cycle of agricultural marketing.
2. Commission Agents:
a) Brokers: They are the ones which take minimum risk and as a part of their income
brokerage is paid to them. The commission paid is between 2% 10%

b) Traders: They are the same as Brokers but level of risk is high
c) Adatya's:
3. Wholesaler
4. Retailers

5. Consumers
3.8 Factors Affecting the Muskmelon Price:
The pricing decision is dependent on a number of factors:

1. Main Market : The Commission agents update the APMC merchants about the
prevalent market prices on a day to day basis. The prices in the APMC market change
accordingly.

2. Season and Supply: During the winter season from December to February, the
supply decreases and thus the price rises during this period. Price varies during the other
seasons as per the supply. For eg. If there is a very heavy rainfall and the crop has
damaged, then the prices will rise Basically, it is dependent on the demand-supply
conditions

3. Brand: There are a lot of brands available in case of grains and this has a major
impact on the prices. There are certain well established brands which enjoy high
recognition and are sold for higher prices.

4. Multi-Commodities Exchange (MCX): Today, due to the emergence of

MultiCommodities Exchange and easy internet accessibility, the merchants pricing
decisions are affected by the prevalent MCX prices.

5. Transport : conditions The transport route and charges also affect the prevalent
prices of the grains.

6. Rains: This is a major factor in determining the total quantity of production, which is
the total supply which determines the price in coordination with the demand.
3.9 Product Handling in Nashik APMC
Product Handling :
In APMC, product Handling is majorly performed manually by laborers. These
laborers work on daily basis and transfer goods and commodity from one katta
(shop) to another katta or from katta to trucks. On the other hand product handling
during trading between APMC and retailers or semi-wholesalers is done in 2 ways:
1. Trucks: Trucks and Tempo's are used as medium of road transportation in
order to cover shorter distances and to reach the interiors of city.

2. Railways: Railways are also used as a medium of transportation goods to

longer distances. They are comparatively cheaper when it comes to road
transportation.
Wastage Management
Generally, in all the sectors of APMC the production of wastage is very low.
However, in Fruits and Vegetables Market, wastage is up to 35% of the overall
produce as these goods are perishable in nature. Hence, in order to reduce this
wastage, the wholesalers sell them at a lesser amount compared to the original price.
 Present status of Muskmelon in Maharashtra
Muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.), is also known as Kharbooja (in Hindi) one the important
member of cucurbitaceae family. It is native of Tropical Africa and grown for its delicious fruit.
Most often, it’s ambiguously chunked in both vegetable and fruit. But, botanically, legally, and
culinarily it’s a fruit while biological and cultural similarity to other cucurbitaceous vegetable
it’s considered as
vegetable. In India, it’s basically cultivated as vegetable predominately in Uttar Pradesh,
Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka during summer and rainy
months. Meanwhile, for off season production, it is grown as ‘Diara’ cultivation in the river
basin of the Ganga, Yamuna, Gomti, and other tributaries of these rivers during the winter and
spring month.
Muskmelon needs dry warm weather and enough sunshine for proper growth and better
production.The temperature range from 18°C to 28°C is optimum and plant growth severely
retarded at low temperature below 12°C. While, plants can easily withstands to very high
temperatures up to 40°C. Moreover plants are very sensitive to frost as they shows sever
mortality due to frost and high humidity reduce plant growth, affect fruit quality adversely, and
promote leaf diseases muskmelon is able to give optimum yield up to 1200 m altitude with long
warm gowning season, which having full sunny days. Simultaneously, well- are best for
muskmelon production. Poorly drained soils incline to stay cool for longer duration and contain
low level of soil oxygen, which is not suitable for its growth and development, also favours the
incidence of root rot diseases
3.11 Selection of Commodity rCauliflower
Table 3.3 rCauliflower Arrivals and Prices in Nashik APMC (2016-2021)
Year
Month Particulars 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21
April Arrival 1659 2108 2046 1354 2840
Min. Price 900 900 1000 1000 700
Max. Price 2400 1900 2200 2200 1500
Average Price 2050 1400 1700 1700 1000

May Arrival 597 2648 885 3067 4240

Min. Price 750 1100 1000 900 700
Max. Price 2100 2800 2000 2400 2000
Average Price 1500 2100 1500 2100 1500

June Arrival 411 250 540 260 490

Min. Price 1000 1000 1000 900 700
Max. Price 2000 2500 2000 2200 1800
Average Price 1450 1700 1500 1900 1300

July Arrival 30 0 200 150 0

Min. Price 500 0 700 700 0
Max. Price 1800 0 2000 1600 0
Average Price 1250 0 1500 1100 0

August Arrival 0 50 10 0 200

Min. Price 0 1100 500 0 500
Max. Price 0 2000 900 0 1700

Average Price 0 1500 700 0 1200

September Arrival 14 80 90 0 0
Min. Price 23800 1300 1000 0 0
Max. Price 2100 2500 2500 0 0
Average Price 1700 1800 1800 0 0

October Arrival 85 100 15 0 0

Min. Price 800 800 900 0 0
Max. Price 1900 2000 2000 0 0
Average Price 1500 1400 1400 0 0

November Arrival 0 74 232 170 140

Min. Price 0 700 1100 1100 1000
Max. Price 0 2000 2000 2500 1500
Average Price 0 1500 1600 1800 1200

December Arrival 0 40 185 20 225

Min. Price 0 700 900 1100 800
Max. Price 0 2000 2000 2500 1200
Average Price 0 1500 1450 1800 1000

January Arrival 323 1120 165 320 30

Min. Price 800 1000 700 1000 900
Max. Price 2400 2000 1800 2500 1500
Average Price 1800 1950 1350 1500 1000

February Arrival 1455 2360 806 1318 407

Min. Price 800 700 1000 1000 1000
Max. Price 2400 2000 2000 2500 2500
Average Price 2000 1500 1450 1500 1800
March Arrival 1990 2540 1064 2195 1062
Min. Price 900 1200 1200 700 800
Max. Price 2100 2500 2100 1600 2000
Average Price 1800 1800 1450 1100 1800
 3.11.1. The Trend in Arrivals of Muskmelon is Given Below.
Table 3.4 Trend in Arrivals of Muskmelon
Monthly
Total of Five yearly Seasonal
Months Arrivals of Muskmelon (in quintals) variation
Five year average
index

2016 -17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21

April 1659 2108 2046 1354 2840 10007 2001.4 281.4
May 597 2648 885 3067 4240 11437 2287.4 321.7

June 411 250 540 260 490 1951 390.2 54.8

July 30 0 200 150 0 380 76 10.6
Aug 0 50 10 0 200 52 7.31
260
Sept 14 80 90 0 0 184 36.8 5.17
Oct 85 100 15 0 0 200 40 5.62
Nov 0 74 232 170 140 616 123.2 17.32
Dec 0 40 185 20 225 470 94 13.22
Jan 323 1120 165 320 30 1958 391.6 55.07
Feb 1455 2360 806 1318 407 6346 1269.2 178.5
March 1990 2540 1064 2195 1062 8851 1770.2 248.9
Total 6564 11370 6238 8854 9434 42110 8532 1199.6
Average 547 947.5 519.8 737.8 786.1 3509.1 711 99.96

Monthly total of 5years= sum of 5yearmonths

Five year average= sum of 5yearmonths/5
Average of five year average=total of five year average /12
Seasonal variation index= five year average/ Total average of five year average *100
Seasonal Variation index of Arrivals of
Muskmelon

350

Series 1

Fig 3.3. Seasonal Variation index of arrivals of Muskmelon

(%)

The above graph it shows that in the financial year , 2016-2021 the arrivals of
Muskmelon is high in May month and lower is in October month.
 3.11.2.The Trending Prices of Muskmelon is Given Below

Table 3.5 Trend in Prices of Muskmelon

Months Prices of Muskmelon (in Rs) in quintals Five Seasonal
Monthly Total Yearly Variation
of 5years average index
2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21

April 2050 1400 1700 1700 1000 7850 1570 121.8

May 1500 2100 1500 2100 1500 8700 1740 135.6
June 1450 1700 1500 1900 1300 7850 1570 121.8
July 1250 0 1500 1100 0 3850 770 59.7
Aug 0 1500 700 0 1200 3400 52.7
680
Sept 1700 1800 1800 0 0 5300 1060 82.2
Oct 1500 1400 1400 0 0 4300 66.7
860
Nov 0 1500 1600 1800 1200 94.6
6100 1220
Dec 0 1500 1450 1800 1000 5750 1150 89.2
Jan 1800 1950 1350 1500 1000 7600 1520 117.9
Feb 2000 1500 1450 1500 1800 8250 1650 128
March 1800 1800 1450 1500 1800 8350 1670 129.6
Total 15050 16650 17400 14900 11800 77300 15460 1199.8
Average
1254 1387 1450 1241 983.3 6441 1288.3 99.98
Price

Monthly total of 5years= sum of 5 year months

Five year average= sum of 5year months/5
Average of five year average=total of five year average /12
Seasonal variation index= five year average/ Total average of five year average *100
 Seasonal Variation index of Prices of Muskmelon

160

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

Fig 3.4. Seasonal Variation index of Prices of Muskmelon

The above graph it shows that in the financial year, 2016-2021 the prices of Muskmelon is
high in May month and lower in Augest month.
3.12 Various Institutions Involved in Marketing of Muskmelon Commodity
1. Electronic -National Agriculture Market

e-NAM Logo

National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) is a pan-India online trading platform for agricultural
commodities developed by Nagarjuna Fertilizers and Chemicals Limited (NFCL). Launched on
April 14th 2016, it is driving agricultural trade towards the objective of remunerative prices for
farmers by plugging the rampant trade malpractices in mandis.
It is managed by Small Farmers' Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) under the Department of
Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers' Welfare.It links agricultural produce market committees
(APMCs) across all states with online trading of commodities.
While the farmer is the primary stakeholder, e-NAM also provides traders, commission agents
and exporters with better business opportunities through a unified and extensive market place.
It aims to help them discover better prices and facilitates for smooth marketing of the products
through mobile and web applications. This is done by providing information and services related
to agri-commodities:
The commodities that are available in various mandis along with their prices The historical
prices of various commodities. Buy and sell trade offers for these commodities Through the
aforementioned information, e-NAM helps farmers bargain a better return for their produce.
themselves with the portal to have The traders and farmers should register access to its services
Objectives of E-NAM
1. To integrate markets, at the state-level and national-level through a common online
platform that would facilitate a pan-India trade in agricultural commodities
2. To streamline marketing and transaction procedures and establish uniformity across all
markets within the country to promote the efficient functioning of these markets
3. To enhance better marketing avenues for both the seller (farmers) and the buyers (trader)
4. To put in place quality testing facilities that would help in better informed biddings by
buyers
5. To promote stability in pricing and ensure the availability of quality products to the end-
consumer.
Function of E-NAM
1. Administration of agriculture marketing is carried out by respective states according to their
agri-marketing regulations as agriculture and markets are state subjects under the Indian
constitution. Each state has its own APMC Act, with varied provisions.

2. The lack of uniformity and compatibility has led to the fragmentation of agricultural
markets, where each state functions as a separate market. Every state is further divided into
several market areas. These separate areas formed will be administered by a separate
Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC), which imposes its own marketing
regulation.

3. This fragmentation of markets even within the state level hinders the free flow of
agricommodities between different markets. Multiple handling of agri-produce and multiple
levels of mandi charges lead to escalated price for the consumers without equivalent benefits for
the farmers. These challenges are addressed by e-NAM by creating a unified market via online
trading platform both at the state and at the national level.
 2. Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing Board (MSMB)

The Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing Board (MSAMB), Pune was established on 23rd,
March 1984, under section 39A of Maharashtra Agricultural Produce Marketing (Development &
Regulation) Act, 1963. MSAMB has done pioneering work in the field of Agricultural Marketing
in the State and achieved success in various areas. MSAMB is having an important role in
developing and coordinating agricultural marketing system in the State of Maharashtra .

MSAMB OBJECTIVE As per the provision of Maharashtra Agricultural Produce Marketing

(Development & Regulation) Act, 1963 section 39(J), the Board shall perform the following
functions and shall have power to do such things as may be necessary or expedient for carrying
out these functions.
1. To co-ordinate the functioning of the Market Committees including programmes undertaken
by such markets and market areas.
2. To undertake State level planning of the development of the agriculture produce markets.
3. To give advise to Market Committees in general or any Market Committee in particular with
a view to ensuring improvement in the functioning thereof.
4. To supervise and guide the Market Committees in the preparation of plans and estimates of
construction programme undertaken by them.
5. To make necessary arrangements for propaganda and publicity on matters relating to
marketing of agricultural produce.
6. To grant subventions or loans to Market Committees for the purposes of this Act on such
terms and conditions as it may determine.
7. To arrange or organize seminars, workshops, exhibitions on subject relating to agricultural
marketing & giving training to members and employees of marketing committee.
8. To do such other things as may be of general interest relating to marketing of agriculture
produce.
9. To carry out any other function specifically entrusted to it by this Act.

3. National Agricultural Co-operative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED)

'A

National Agriculture Cooperative Marketing

Federation of India ltd
Photo : NAFED Logo

The objectives of the NAFED shall be to organize, promote and develop

marketing, processing and storage of agricultural, horticultural and forest
produce, distribution of agricultural machinery, implements and other
inputs, undertake inter-state, import and export trade, wholesale or retail
as the case may be and to act and assist for technical advice in
agricultural, production for the promotion and the working of its
members, partners, associates and cooperative marketing, processing and
supply societies in India. In furtherance of these objectives, the NAFED
may undertake one or more of the following activities.

1. To facilitate, coordinate and promote the marketing and trading

activities of the cooperative institutions, partners and associates in
agricultural, other commodities, articles and goods;
2. To undertake or promote on its own or on behalf of its member
Institutions or the Government or Government Organizations, Inter-State
and international trade and commerce and undertake, wherever
necessary, sale, purchase, import, export and distribution of agricultural
commodities, horticultural and forest produce, other articles
and goods from various sources for pursuing its business activities and to act as the
agency for canalization of export and import and interstate trade of agricultural and other
commodities or articles under any scheme formulated by the Government of India or
other Government agencies and to facilitate these activities, wherever necessary, to open
branches/sub-offices and appoint agents at any place within the country or abroad;
3. To undertake purchase, sale and supply of agricultural, marketing and processing
requisites, such as manure, seeds, fertilizer, agricultural implements and machinery,
packing machinery, construction requisites, processing machinery for agricultural
commodities, forest produce, dairy, wool and other animal products;
4. To act as warehouseman under the Warehousing Act and own and construct its own
godowns and cold storages;
5. To act as agent of any Government agency or cooperative institution, for the
purchase, sale, storage and distribution of agricultural, horticultural, forest and animal
husbandry produce, wool, agricultural requisites and other consumer goods
 4. Directorate of Marketing and Inspection (DMI)

Photo : DMI Logo

The Directorate of Marketing and Inspection (DMI), an attached Office of the Department of
Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare under Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
, was set up in the year 1935 to implement the agricultural marketing policies and programmes
for the integrated development of marketing of agricultural and other allied produce in the
country with a view to safeguard the interests of farmers as well as the consumers. It maintains a
close liaison between the Central and the State Governments.
Functions of DMI
1. Rendering advice on regulations, development and management of agriculture produce
markets of the State/ Union Territories.
2. Promotion of standardization and grading of agricultural and allied produce under the
Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marketing) Act 1937.
3. Development and Implementation of Agricultural Marketing Research and Information
Network (MRIN) Scheme.
4. Promotion and Implementation of Rural Growth down.
5. Implementation of Agriculture marketing infrastructure Grading and Standardization
scheme.
6. Training of personal agriculture marketing
7. Marketing extension.
 5. Council of State Agricultural Marketing Boards (COSAMB)

Photo: COSAMB Logo

Its an apex body of the state agricultural marketing boards
established in February 1988. COSAMB was established
with a view to -
1. Setting up a common forum of national stature to build
a think tank and to share the know how and experience in
the cause of strong and efficient agricultural marketing.

2. Providing assistance to the member states and to credit

institutions to fix norms for arranging credit from the bank
and mobilizing central for development

3. Setting up a common organization to hold seminars,

workshops, exhibitions and to educate and inspire various
functionaries in achieving a sound system of agricultural
marketing.

4. Creating a national non political autonomous body to

pursue policies and issues at the national level Setting
common libraries and build a stock of literature

5. Establishing contacts with other institutions and

organizations in the country and abroad for the latest
8. Seeking representation COSAMBdevelopments in the field
in various committees of of
theagricultural
central andmarketing and build
state governments.
a data bank

6. Undertaking and assisting professional technical,

management and infrastructural and consultancy services in
the working of agricultural marketing.

7. Assisting and advising the central government and the

state government or members in setting up training centers.
 Functions

1. The state agricultural marketing boards under the control of provincial Governments are
implementing respective schemes and programmes for development of market infrastructure
including wholesale markets.
2. The National level autonomous body acting as association of State Agricultural Marketing
Boards, popularly known as COSAMB (National Council of State Agricultural Marketing
Boards) is actively engaged in coordinating activities and mutual sharing of meaningful
information between member Boards.
3. It has the mandate of coordination with international agencies, inviting technologies and
systems for improving agricultural marketing in the country.
3.13 Application of Market Research in Farming Effective Strategies
1. Group Marketing

a. Farmers form group for marketing of their produce

b. Take advantage of common transportation, storage, access to information, bargaining.
c. Group can go in for backward linkage and forward linkage
d. Group can directly sell to hotels, hostels, restaurants etc.
e. Groups can take advantage of Government schemes.
2. Retail Chain Linkage

a. Retail chains like Wall Mart, Reliance, Spencer etc.do backward linkage and forward
linkage
b. Enter into contract farming mode, providing advisory services ,quality inputs and assured
market for the produce and also assured price to the farmers for their produce
c. Provide safe food to the consumers, by promoting good agricultural practices(GAP) at the
pre-harvest stage(insecticide and pesticide residue)
d. Save the farmers from being exploited by unscrupulous middlemen

3. Direct Marketing
a. In regulatory marketing system, the state APMC Acts did not permit direct purchase form
the farmers’ field and the farmers were supposed to come to the market yard for selling their
produce
b. This was discouraging processing, export and contract farming etc.

Now after there forms direct marketing is permitted in the states which have amended their
state acts as per Model Act of the central Government.
c. Under direct marketing provision, a trader, exporter, processor can directly buy from the
farmers and enter into buy back arrangement with them.
d. Now under direct marketing a number of farmer markets have been set up in different
states. These markets facilitate direct linkage between farmers and consumers and other end-
users.
e. This is a model to eliminate middlemen and improve farmer’s share in consumer’s

rupee.
4. Processor Marketing
a. A processor of a certain produce need certain processible varieties of certain quality and
quantity with assured supply through out the year/season.
b. A processor, of necessity, has to go in for buy-back arrangement
c. Those states which have amended their APMC Acts (17till now) very much promote and
encourage processing
d. Processing leads to crop diversification and better income to farmers.

5. Spot Marketing
a. As potex change (say National Spot Exchange) provides an electronic platform, an
alternative to regulated marketing, for online transaction throughout the country( like stock
market)
b. Spot Exchanges like NSE, NCDEX Spot exchanges etc have now outlets in different market
yards.
c. Thus the farmer is not confined to a particular market yard or not under compulsion to sell
through only a particular commission agent

6. Export Marketing
a. Exporters directly procure from the farmer field

b. Enter into buy-back arrangement with farmers

c. Set up their own procurement centers and other infrastructure like storage, cold storage
facilities in the production pockets.
d. Thus provide the farmers access to markets, marketing infrastructure, quality control,
remunerative price for their produce etc.
7. Futures Market and Commodity Exchanges

a. A future exchange is a financial market where different groups of participants trade

commodity - linked contracts, with the underlying objective of transferring exposure to
commodity-price risks.
b. Organized commodity futures exchanges have existed since the last century. As concerns
exchange of international importance, the main ones are the “Chicago Board of Trade”(CBOT),
the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and the Coffee Sugar and Cocoa Exchange
(CSCE) in the United States and the London Metal Exchange (LME), International Petroleum
Exchange (IPE) and London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange” (Life) in
the United King
 CHAPTER 4
SUMMERY AND CONCLUSION
.1 Summery :
1. The total arrival of financial year 2016 is 6,564 quintals and average price is Rs.547.

2. The total arrivals of financial year 2017 is 11,370 quintals and average price is

Rs.947.5.

3. The total arrivals of financial year 2018 is 6,238 quintals and average price is

Rs.519.8.

4. The total arrivals of financial year 2019 is 8,854 quintals and average price is

Rs.737.8.

5. The total arrivals of financial year 2020 is 9,434 quintals and average price is

Rs.786.1.

6. The financial year 2016-2020 the arrivals of Muskmelon is high in May month, and

lower in October month.

7. The financial year 2016-2020 the Average Prices of Muskmelon is high in May month

and lower in Augests month.

2 Conclusion:-

Agriculture committee is very helpful to farmers and single price based system. As the
shortage of supply of agricultural commodities which increases in prices, so productivity
need to increases. Improvements in the management of supply chain would lead to overall
growth of economy.

The APMC, Nashik is an semi government organization which works for the
marketing of agricultural produce. All the facilities are provided to the buyers and sellers
in the market yard. The trend of arrivals and prices depends on the demand and supply of
agricultural produce. When the arrivals are high the prices are low and when the arrivals
are low the prices are high. All the government policies are implemented and provided to
the buyers and sellers in market yard.
5. EXPERIENCE GAINED :

1. Got knowledge about Nashik APMC market structure.

2. Gained knowledge about market price trends of agriculture commodities.

3. Got knowledge of demand and supply or arrivals and Muskmelon commodity.

4. Got additional information about various different agriculture marketing agencies.

5. Learn about application of market research in farming effective marketing

strategies.

6. Increased knowledge about structure of APMC like committee, infrastructure,

marketing practices etc.