Information Needs Related to Direct Access to Markets and Market Prices: An Exploratory Study of Farmers from Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

The paper intends to understand the information seeking behavior and market advisory preferences of Tamil Nadu farmers. The vast majority of the farmers in India (close to 85 percent) are from the small and marginal category only. However, it has been seen that small and marginal farmers accessed less information and from fewer sources than did medium and large scale farmers. The farmers who generally have less or little information tend to sell their produce at the farm gate itself or in low paying markets. Hence if market information were to reach farmers in time, it could enable them to make much needed and quicker decisions helping them to supply the commodities where they could get better prices. With a view to understand what kind of market information was most sought after by farmers and the sources from where they received this information, the authors carried out a research study in the Trichy district of Tamil Nadu, India. The study revealed that though farmers were aware of many of the sources providing market information such as the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Kissan Call Centre, etc. they primarily still sought the information from agro input dealers. Further, the authors conclude that along with providing market information, for farmers to truly increase their profitability, both backward linkages with input and machinery suppliers and forward linkages with traders, export markets, should be enabled.

Further, the authors conclude that along with providing market information, for farmers to truly increase their profitability, both backward linkages with input and machinery suppliers and forward linkages with traders, export markets, should be enabled.

Keywords: Information seeking behavior, Market advisory preferences, Sources of market information, Market intelligence, Market advisory services, Information gap, Agricultural technology, Agriculture Advisory System, Mobile telephony applications

JEL Classification: D81, D83, D84