A Study on Quality Grading and Prices of Important Vegetable Marketing in Karnataka

Abstract

The technological breakthrough in Indian agriculture has brought about rapid increase newlinein the productivity levels of crops. This has generated new problems in marketing for which newlineadequate attention has not been paid even though it has been recognised that the solution for newlinethese problems is a requisite condition for agricultural prosperity. The quality of vegetable newlineproduce brought to the market by the farmers varies considerably from lot to lot. The variation newlinein quality is due mainly to the differences in varieties, insect and pest damages, methods and newlinetime of harvesting and agro-climatic factors. It is therefore, highly essential to grade the newlineproduce brought to the market on scientific lines in order to get remunerative prices. Scientific newlinegrading should be based on important test factors so that the sellers would be able to newlinedescribe the quality that they are offering and the buyers should understand what is being newlineoffered. newlineBoth primary and secondary information were collected and used in the study. Hubli, newlineBelgaum and Bijapur vegetable markets were purposively selected for the study. These three newlinemarkets are the terminal markets for onion, potato, tomato and brinjal in the Karnataka state newlineand bulk of the vegetables are produced in these three important markets. A total of 330 newlinesamples were collected at random during the peak season (September to January) from newlinethese three markets. newlineTo determine the seasonal factor(s) the seasonal index numbers were worked out by newlineusing the ratio to moving average method. The stepwise multiple regression analysis to study newlinethe eye-sight grades, price, quality factors and non-quality factors determining the vegetables newlineprices was employed. It was necessary to give appropriate weightage to each one of these newlinequalitative variables required for the development of grade standards for the selected newlinevegetables. It was evident from the study that eye-sight grading system be replaced by newlinescientific grading.