Determinants of prices of minor forest produce (MFP) in high altitude and Tribal (HAT) zone of Andhra Pradesh

Prices for any commodity are important because they create a path for a firm or industry to continue or discontinue a particular production activity in the future. The paper focuses on the variables affecting MFP prices in the HAT zone of Andhra Pradesh. The present study was conducted in tribal areas where there is extensive forest cover, spotty cell network coverage, and tribal farmers with low levels of knowledge. The market price information for MFP that was provided by Girijan Cooperative Corporation (GCC) officials and individual traders varied. Some of the important MPFs are lucrative for tribal farmers, but their geographical barriers make them unable to catch good prices for their produce. For this investigation, a probit model was used and the study’s findings showed that the availability of storage facilities at Girijan Primary Cooperative Marketing Societies (GPCMS)/ Primary Procurement Centres (PPCs), access to timely market price information, and ’investment in MIS’ are the determinants of market price in the study area.