Sustainable Agri-business Development and Food Marketing Management - Opportunities & Challenges in India Murthy MRK*, Naikwadi PM** *District Agri-Business Expert & In-charge of Market Linkage Specialist, Convergence of Agricultural Interventions in Maharashtra (CAIM), GoM, IFAD, SRTT **District Agri-Business Expert, Yavatmal. Convergence of Agricultural Interventions in Maharashtra (CAIM), GoM, IFAD, SRTT Online published on 27 April, 2015. Abstract A well-organized and efficient marketing system plays a vital role in the economic growth or a nation. An efficiently organized marketing system not only facilitates the proper and smooth disposal of the produce but also acts as a catalyst to stimulate increased production in terms of incentive prices. A vast majority of the population lives in the rural areas. Rural prosperity is largely linked with agriculture as about 56 per cent of the populations are engaged in agriculture and about 18 per cent of the national income is generated through it. In order to usher rural prosperity farm incomes has to be maximized by diversifying agriculture through integrated crop, livestock, fisheries and horticultural enterprises, which pre-supposes the need for a well, organized marketing system for these commodities. Agri-business includes not only all the agriculture related activities but also that portion of industrial sector which covers the sources of farm supplies i.e. farm machinery, fertilizers and chemicals, etc., or the processors of farm products. Thus, there are five major agri-business segments, namely, input manufactures, input suppliers, integrated agri-business, market intermediaries, food processors and marketers. In the view of Agribusiness plays an important role in improving the quality of products and accessibility etc. The changed economic scenario and the global order have modified substantially the organization and management of agri-business. After the ‘Green Revolution’, which ensured abundant production and food security in India, we should gear up ourselves to have, Marketing Revolution with all its, rainbow colours so as to seize the opportunities provided by the liberalized international market. This would ensure a fair price to the farmer and availability of qualitative products to the consumer at reasonable prices. The whole gamut of agri-business is under scrutiny, since changes are swift, a serious thought on the question of meeting the challenges sustaining of the transformation is the need of the hour. Top Keywords Agribusiness, Sustainable Agriculture, Food chains, Marketing Management. Top |