ASPEE, Agribusiness Management Institute, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari (Gujarat)
Online published on 6 December, 2013.
Mango pulp is an important value added product of mango. Southern part of Gujarat is considered one of the important clusters of mango pulp processing in the country and has a large number of processing units in the region with a good backward linkage of Alphonso and Kesar variety of mangoes. A number of many small medium and large processing units in this area have been manufacturing mango pulp, and marketing it in local as well as national and international markets. In order to understand the market preference for mango pulp in the catering segment and to help the mango pulp processors compete more effectively in an increasingly competitive landscape, the present study was undertaken during 2011 with the objecthre to understand the demand and preference of caterers for mango pulp. Three distncts of South Gujarat Navsari, Valsad and Surat were selected for the study. Primary data was collected using personal interview of caterers and mango pulp processors. A total samples of 20 caterers and 10 mango pulp processors were taken for the study. It was found that there is a large demand for mango pulp by the catering segments and holds lot of poiential for marketing of mango pulp. Mango pulp is considered a delicacy and a specialty product offered on special occasions in Gujarat. Caterers prefer to buy directly from the processors and buy in bulk quantities. Price of mango pulp and its taste are important factors affecting the caterers purchase decision.
