Price Spread and Marketing Efficiency in the Marketing of Rapeseed and Mustard in Bathinda District of Punjab

The results revealed that the marketed surplus on large farms came out to be 95.09 percent followed by small (90.53 percent) and medium (89.67 percent) farms. The price spreads in Sangat market (8008.90) was found to be more than Raman market (7953.90) in Channel-I (Producer-Processor-Oil wholesalers-Oil retailers-Consumers). Producer's share in consumer rupee in Channel-II was found more as compared to both the markets in Channel-I as none of intermediaries were involved in this channel. Fluctuation in prices, problems in weighing of the produce, dominance of traders, delayed payment, movement of stray animals in the markets, lack of proper shed were important marketing constraints. The study brought out that as the marketing margins of the processors were found to be the highest, farmers should make efforts to add value to their produce at their own on cooperative basis in order to get more share in consumer's rupee. The establishment of new processing plants in or around mustard growing pockets in the district would sizably cut down transportation cost. Farmers should be encouraged to organize themselves into cooperatives which will help them improve the bargaining power and also generates scale economies in acquisition of inputs, services, and information.