Volume: 1, Issue: 1
INTRODUCTION
India is a country with large population and landscape. With 327 million of hectares of land spread of which about 145 million hectares under cultivation. India is basically an agricultural country gifted with a diversified range of climate and plant species. There is round the year production of cereals, pulses, oil seeds, vegetables and fruits. Agrarian climatic conditions and locational advantage of India in the global map provided with some natural edge in agriculture. India is one among the top producers of rice, maize, wheat, groundnuts, tea, coffee, spices, sugar and oilseeds. Also, India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables next only to Brazil. Agricultural marketing in India is basically in the clutches of middlemen and peasants who hold an octopus grip. It is a known fact that when there is a rise in the price of farmers' produces they are the least to be benefited and when prices fall they are the most affected. The effective and efficient system of agricultural marketing is therefore is the need of the hour to protect the farmers from the parasitic clutches of middlemen and also distress sale of food grains. Agricultural marketing plays a significant role not only in stimulating agricultural production but also in assuring remunerative prices to the farmers which ensures adequate supply of quality food grains to industry and consumers at a reasonable price. Therefore, a good agricultural system directly contributes to the economic development of a nation.
