1. CO-OPERATIVE MARKETING FOR AGRICULTURAL GOODSBy
Dr. Anil Wavare
Chhatrapati Shivaji College,
Satara.

2. CONCEPT
“Marketing includes not only purchase and sale of goods, but also the various business activities and processes involved in bringing the goods from the producer to the consumer”.

3. DEFINITION
American Marketing Association – “The performance of business activities directed towards and incidental to, the flow of goods and services from producer to consumer or user.”
Margaret Digbi: “Co-operative marketing is the system by which a group of farmers or market gardeners join to carry on some or all the processes involved in bringing goods from the producer to the consumer.”
R. B. I.: “Marketing can be considered as a co-operative association of cultivators formed primarily for the purpose of helping the members to market their produce more profitably than is possible through the private trade.”

4. It includes following activities
Collection of surplus from the individual farmers.
Transport to the nearest assembling centre.
Grading and standardization.
Pooling
Processing
Warehousing
Packing
Transport to the consuming centers
Bringing the buyers and sellers together
Sale to ultimate consumer. ( i.e. milk, Sugar, Tobacco co-operatives etc.)
Collection of marketing information
Credit supply
Co-ordination among credit supply and marketing
Export
Price stability

5. SPECIAL FEATURES OF AGRICULTURAL MARKETING
Agricultural produce in most cases is bulky for its value in comparison with many manufactured goods.
The farming output is seasonal.
Collection of the produce becomes a complicated process particularly as the consumers are generally concentrated in urban areas.
Most of the farm produce suffers loss and deterioration in quality during storage and transport.

6. OBJECTIVES OF CO-OPERATIVE MARKETING SOCIETIES
To strengthen the bargaining capacity of the cultivator.
To secure the members a better price for their produce
To eliminate superfluous middlemen
To provide members the needed finance
To persuade the farmer to grow better quality goods.
To stabilize prize
To develop fair trading practices
To provide the facility of grading and transportation
To act as an agent of government for procurement and implementation of price support policy.
To promote the economic interest of its members by encouraging self-help, thrift and better farming among members.
To act as a distributive center for agricultural requisites such as seeds, implements etc.
To help in the expansion of co-operative credit programme by linking marketing with credit.

7. ADVANTAGES OF CO-OPERATIVE MARKETING
Economy in cost of marketing
Better Prices
Safeguards against price rings
Credit facilities
Supply of quality goods of consumers
Help in growing better crops
Division of surplus
Educative value

8. MALPRACTICES IN PRESENT SYSTEM OF AGRICULTURAL MARKETING
Dantwala Committee on Co-operative marketing mentioned below
Multiplicity of market charges.
Trade allowances
Adulteration and lack of grading
Method of sale
Malpractices in weight
Delay in payment of sale proceeds
Large samples
low marketable surplus
Super flows middlemen
Inadequate storage facilities
Defective transport
Lack of market information
Absence of regulated markets.

9. OTHER PROBLEMS
Result of official initiative: these societies have not been organised as a result of efforts of the cultivators.
Target hunting: tried for quantitative development, not try for qualitative development
Unplanned set up
No integration of tiers
Weak organizational link
Competition from credit societies
Bias towards individual membership
Poor management
Malpractices
Unregulated markets
Concentration of distribution of activities
Lack of supervision and audit
Purchases through private trade.
Individual interest
CONTN.

10. Inadequate capital
Competition among credit institutions
No correlation between co-operative credit and co-operative marketing
Less awareness among members
Unplanned development
Inefficient management
Lack of transport facilities
Lack of processing facilities
Lack of credit supply
Untrained workers
Corruption
Lack of audit and supervision
Faulty government policy.

11. SUGGESTIONS These societies should be located at mandi centers
Concerted efforts should be made
Link between credit and marketing is essential
The supervisory staff of co-operative department should be see that the marketing societies are not dominated and exploited by traders
To attract competent managerial personnel
Existing untrained managers should be trained
To increase the capital base
SBI should be give high priority to the requirements of co-operative marketing
Consumers and the producers co-operative should have an effective link with marketing societies
These societies should establish their own godowns
Director Body – Board policies
Some assistance from state government

12. THANKS