Farmer to Market Linkages: Revamping Under the Emerging Value-Chain System

Abstract

The fate of human settlement and development has taken place either through agriculture or it is largely affected by agriculture. The farmers are the only producers providing materials for other sectors to thrive on the demand and supply of basic raw material clearly evident from backward and forward linkages. In the recent economic system too each and every activity pertaining to Agriculture and Allied Activities has close relation with market environment. Recent surging food prices could be the best example of serious repercussions of broken link of farmers and the channel members such as wholesaler, retailer and other middle men in which wholesale price index for food articles has risen 17.5% since March 2009 and pulses by a steep 41.5%. Had the linkage among farmers and other marketing networks been incidentally appropriate, price of food products should have been accommodating with the contemporary market forces. The paper brings forth the issue of farmer to market linkage with the comprehensive look at the problem of participation of village community in the peri-urban industries and tapping of unutilized potential of rural markets and resources.