Marketable Surplus And Market Performance

In this study, the author examines the market and trade relations, concerning and maize, at the farmer and the market level. Though numerous empirical studies have been carried out in this field, yet an in-depth study on the characteristic pattern of market and trade relations at the micro-level is left necessary particularly after the introduction of market development programmes all over the country. This study is an attempt in this direction. It examines the characteristic features of market relations in terms of the behaviour of marketable and marketed surplus. The characteristics of the trade relations are examined by identifying the buyers of marketed surplus and the purchase mechanism operated by them. The market performance has been studied on the basis of both technical and economic efficiency of the marketing system. In this context, the nature and function of different market and trade functionaries, their marketing costs and margins and price-spread between sellers and buyers are examined. The study also examines the seasonality of market arrivals and price to reflect the market performance in some form or other. The book is based on statistical evidence from the market and on extensive field research, including direct interviews with individuals involved in the marketing process. Although the author concentrates on the behaviour of marketable surplus and market performance with special reference to an agricultural market in Bihar, his findings can be of much help not only to scholars for extending research area in this field but also to policy makers and planners concerned with the public distribution system and the market development programmes.