Back ground

Farming in Tamil Nadu is slowly transforming into Market led Agriculture from Production led Agriculture. Market led agriculture results in reduction in price risks and increases net income per unit area sown, finally leading to improvement in the Levels of Living of farmers.

The major and beginning component of Market led Agriculture is Market Intelligence. It includes forecasts of prices for the different agricultural commodities delivered well in advance of sowing of each crop, seasons of maximum prices, markets of higher prices, quality requirements to realize the maximum prices, methods and costs of storage upon harvesting, modes of transport and packing materials to minimize transit loss etc. Thus agricultural market intelligence consists of price, place and product intelligence for each crop besides, the pre and post harvest technologies to be followed in minimizing on farm and off farm wastages.

This sort of agricultural market intelligence are being disseminated to farmers and   other stake holders in agricultural marketing from November 2004 onwards by the Domestic and Export Market Intelligence Cell (DEMIC) functioning in Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development Studies, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. The price forecasts are made by analysing the prices of Agricultural Commodities concerned over 15-20 years, comparing the same with prices of futures markets and national and international reports of trade surveys besides conducting state level trade surveys. Thus these forecasts are made by way of thinking globally and acting locally. Thus market intelligence including price forecasts for major crops well in advance of sowing of each crop and before harvest of the same are continuously issued by DEMIC for the past more than six years. So far about 150 price forecast/ market intelligence were disseminated to farmers and other stake holders in agricultural marketing in Tamil Nadu.

The dissemination of each market intelligence is done as detailed below.

1. Through print media ie., News papers, Agricultural Journals and Agricultural    

Magazines in English and Tamil.

1. Through Radio including FM radios
2. Through television channels including Podhigai, Sun News, Makkal TV, Kalaignar TV, etc.
3. By training officials of Departments of Agriculture and Agricultural Marketing and Agri-Business.
4. Through SMS to about 5500 farmers and officials in English and Tamil
5. Through Voice Mail in Tamil to about 1.50 lakh farmers in collaboration with    IFFCO Ltd.
6. By sending soft and hard copies of market intelligence to all Joint Directors of Agriculture, Deputy Directors (Agrl. Marketing) and Secretaries of Market
   Committees at each district and to all Krishi Vigyan Kendhras (KVKs) for further dissemination to farmers and field staff concerned.

1. Through our separate website www.tnagmark.tn.nic.in in both English and Tamil along with giving price information for about 2500 Markets throughout India.
2. By participating in Regional Exhibitions: and
3. Training farmers about the market intelligence being disseminated, their validity, required adoption etc.

Rationale and Scope

            By adopting all the above strategies in disseminating the market intelligence to farmers, so far we are able to cover about 3.50 lakh farm holdings only. In other words our dissemination is reaching directly about 4.35 percent of the farm holdings in Tamil Nadu. This includes Voice Mail in Tamil to 1.50 lakh farmers, SMS sent, dissemination through press and electronic media.
It is felt that the reach of the market intelligence is not enough. Much has tobe done in dissemination. Since many of the success stories are emanating from farmers who have adopted the market intelligence in increasing their net income, it is essential that the intelligence reach the maximum number of farmers, so that they could increase their farm income.

1. Strategy
2. Purpose

The purpose of the proposal is to improve the dissemination and use of market intelligence among farmers and other stake holders in Tamil Nadu.

Objectives

Increasing the net profitability of farm holdings by adoption of market intelligence being disseminated by Domestic and Export Market Intelligence Cell of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.

C. Outputs

(i)  Improving the capacity of farmers, agricultural input dealers and agricultural graduates trained in agribusiness to access and use market intelligence to guide their production and market decisions.
The overall output is achieved through the following intermediate outputs (i) increase in the reach of market intelligence ii) improved capacity to absorb and use market intelligence.

Project Goals

Helping the farmers in taking sowing / marketing decisions based on market intelligence provided by DEMIC periodically and thus achieving a higher net profitability per unit area sown.

Project Components

The following components are identified in maximizing the reach of market intelligence being disseminated by Domestic and Export Market Intelligence Cell (DEMIC), Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.

1. Training the staff of 150 Farmers’ Shandies in Tamil Nadu and providing necessary dissemination materials.
2. Training 385 Agricultural Input Dealers in various parts of Tamil Nadu who have/ do not have the Diploma in Agricultural Input Marketing Services previously offered by  Tamil Nadu Agricultural University .
3. Capacity building of 385 Graduates in Agriculture who were trained in establishing Agri- clinics and Agri-Business.
4. Training the 3000 farmers on the use and adoption of market intelligence which includes farmers from ATMA and  NABARD Farmers group

The necessary market intelligence will be provided to all the above trained personals by way of hard /soft copy which will be disseminated by them.

Inputs

Contractual staff, training & training kits, white boards and marker pens

Contact:

Director,
Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development Studies (CARDS)
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University
Coimbatore – 641 003
Phone: o422-6611239, 6611439
E-mail:directorcards@tnau.ac.in