Efficiency and Performance of Different Fish Marketing Channels in Raichur District of Karnataka, India

Abstract

Agriculture plays a pivotal role in India's economic growth, with fish farming being one of the earliest and most critical methods of food production. Every year the production of fish has been increasing. When compared to the advancements made in fish production, India's fish marketing system is incredibly inadequate and ineffective. Hence this study tried to found efficiency of various fish marketing channels. In various marketing channels, there are several marketing intermediaries. The net returns of fish farmers will vary depending on the number of intermediaries, distance to the marketing location and exports of the commodity. Therefore, out of all the different marketing channels available in their area, farmers must select the most effective one. Hence, to find out the effective marketing channel of Raichur District the study was formulated with 120 fish farmers as respondents who belongs to community based fish farming. Results showed that, majority of the fish producers sold their produce through channel III (69.50%) even though it is less efficient marketing channel than channel I (11.55%) and channel II (18.95%) because of their nearness and convenience. Also the quantity sold was more in the same channel which was around 2876.27 kg of the total production. This research provides valuable insights into the current state of fish marketing in Raichur and offers a foundation for future studies and policy interventions aimed at optimizing the fish farming sector in India.