Study on production and marketing of incense sticks in Konkan region of Maharashtra

Agarbatti (incense stick) is the fragrance ambassador of India and has been a staple across various cultures for thousands of years. The present study was conducted in six districts of the Konkan region of Maharashtra state to investigate the production and marketing pattern of incense sticks. Results of the study revealed that over 50 per cent of the respondents applied fragrance to raw Agarbatti. The average production cost per kg of Agarbatti in the Konkan region was found to be Rs 140.28, with an average daily production of 66.12 kg and average selling price of Rs 290.28. The survey revealed that 40.32 per cent of respondents sold Agarbatti to wholesalers, 38.71 per cent to retailers and 20.97 per cent directly to the consumers. There were three marketing channels viz producer to wholesaler to retailer to consumer, producer to retailer to consumer and producer to consumer. Respondents preferred channel I for selling Agarbatti, while Channel III was found to be more effective due to the 100 per cent gross market margin earned by producers. It was observed that the bamboo incense stick-making business provided a source of income to rural people and contributed to India’s economic growth.