Marketing of Banana in Thane District of Maharashtra

P.J.Kshirsagar
A.P.Chavan
Regional Fruit Research Station
Vengurle, Dist: Sindhudurg.

Banana is the most important fruit crop in terms of nutritive value, which has large scale demand for table purpose. It is not seasonal in nature like many other fruits crops and is available in large quantity through out the year. The area under banana cultivation in India is about 4 Lakh hectares. Maharashtra stands first in the country with a production over 30 lakh M.T. of banana which is more than 40 per cent of the banana production of our country. The area under banana cultivation is 62 thousand hectares in Maharashtra. Jalgaon district has the maximum hectares under this crop (Over 45,000 hectares). The banana is commercially cultivatual in Thane district of Konkan having this crop 911 hectares area, which is mainly conceatructeal in Vasai and `Palghar’ tehsils. The marketing system in banana is link between producer to consumer who are widely scattered and separate. Efficient marketing system ensures the availability of produce to the consumer at reasonable price to offer remunerative price to the producer. Therefore the present study has been undertaken with the following specific objective in Vasai and Palghar Tahsil of Thane district.

1. To study different market channels.
2. To workout market cost associate with them.

Methology:

For this study the Vasai and Palghar tahsils of Thane district were selected. Purposively, five village from each of tahsil and 10 cultivators from each village were selected randomly. The data related to production and marketing were collected by survey method and analyzed in 1998.

Result and Discussion:

The major varieties of banana cultivated in Thane district are safed velchi, Lal velchi and Bhurkel presented in table 1. It is also observed that the marketing channel for banana are three viz. First. Farmer to contractor, second farmer to commission agent and third is farmer to co-operative society. The maximum marketing (44.80%) is found in the II channel that is farmer to commission agent followed by channel-1 41.14% and channel III (15.80%). The per farm production of banana is 16.98 tonnes. Out of which 76.27% production is of variety safed Velchi followed by Bhurkel 6.71% and Lalvelchi (6.54%) and the production of other different local varieties is 10.48%

Table No.1 – Per farm sales of banana through agencies (Quantity in tons)

Table – 2
Represent the marketing cost and price received per quintal of banana through local market and distance market.

It is revealed from the table 2 that price received by the producer were Rs.350.00 per quintal in local market. Net price received by grower after deducting marketing expenses (Rs.50.28/qunital) were Rs. 299.72/quintal. The price received by the producer in distance market is Rs. 500/quintal and net price received after deducting market expenses (Rs. 128.48) were Rs. 371.52/quintal. In this marketing system the producers share is found maximum (85.63%) in local market and minimum (74.30%) in distance market due to higher transport charges (61.15%) in distance market. The other marketing charges for loading, unloading, grading, packing, handling and commission are quite similar in both marketing.

1. Banana grower produce maximum quantity of variety safed velchi and market through I and II channel i.e. through contractor and commission agent.
2. The banana grower ignore the importance of co-operative society.
3. The marketing of banana in local market is most efficient in which producers share was highest as compared to distance market.

Table 2- Marketing cost and price received per quintal.

Reference:

1. Babhulkar N.N.: - Fruit Production Development, Shetakari (43) Oct 98

Ag.
Technologies
(Research Update)