Livelihood Option for Rural Household through Processing and Marketing of Kokum (Garcenia indica) Products in Unorganized Sector of Konkan Region

This paper has studied the economics of processing of kokum fruits and marketing of its value-added products. The study conducted in the south Konkan region of Maharashtra, is based on the information collected from 90 households by survey method for the production year 2011–12. The study has observed that processing of kokum being manual, the entrepreneurship provides opportunities of employment and income generation at household level in the rural areas. In the total quantity of kokum products, 71.6 per cent was processed at unorganised household level and the remaining 28.4 per cent was processed at registered units. The major constraints reported in the processing of kokum included lack of government incentives, low popularization of products, and inadequate availability of fruits. The study has suggested that collection/marketing centres should be established at village level for the development of this rural enterprise.