Impact Assessment of Agricultural Marketing Reforms in India: Some Reflections

The paper portraits the status of reforms in agricultural marketing and analyses its impact in terms of investment, structural changes induced and emergence of new institutions in the sector. An attempt has also been made to establish linkages between agricultural marketing and food security. An assessment of the impact of various provisions adopted under reforms suggests that these reforms have helped in inducing investment in agricultural marketing but not uniform across states. The investment has helped in creating infrastructure leading to reduction in post-harvest losses as observed by the farmers. The reforms have also promoted outside market transactions reflecting direct relationship between consumers and producers. Structural and institutional changes like contract farming, farmers market, organized retails and National Agricultural Market have also been encouraged by the reforms. However, to realize the true benefits envisaged through agricultural marketing reforms, there is the need for adoption of all vital provisions suggested under the model Act across all states, the factors inducing investment other than reforms need to be identified and emerging structures, institutions and channels need to be documented and replicated so as to help farmers integrate better with the market and improve relationship between producers and organized market which is relatively stable in terms of prices.