Agricultural marketing in Nepal
What is Agricultural marketing?
In general terms, agricultural marketing means the sales and purchase of the agricultural products and goods. In other words, it refers to the place where the agricultural products are purchased and sold. Agricultural marketing involves a number of processes such as collection of agricultural products, quality, determination, selling and buying management, development of organized market, etc.
Characteristics of the Nepalese Agricultural marketing
Agricultural marketing has an important role in the Nepalese agriculture. The livings of the Nepalese farmers are determined by it. Yet, it is not in a developed and organized form. Farmers are hardly benefited from it.
- Seasonal: As similar to agricultural production, it's marketing is also seasonal in the rural areas of Nepal. Agricultural production and marketing, both are seasonal activities in rural of Nepal. Farmers have lack of proper storage, so the agricultural products should be sold immediately after harvesting at any cost. Therefore, the market price becomes very low.
- Unorganized: The management system of measurement, price control, quality maintenance and other facilities are unscientific in agricultural marketing of Nepal. Therefore there is lack of coordination between the farmers (producers) and the suppliers. Hence, the farmers are bound to sell the product in their own village to fulfill their daily consumption.
- Inadequate market centres: Agricultural markets centres are found very few in Nepal. They are found comparatively less in the hills and the mountains. So, the farmers have to travel a long distances to reach market centres. However, the market days are fixed only few days in a month.
- Small size of the market: The main features features of the Nepalese subsistence where the production is very low with less surplus. In such a situation, the farmers are discouraged to travel far in search of better price.
- Price instability: The price of the agricultural products keeps on changing day by day in Nepal. Not only this, the price seems different on the same date at different places.
