India’s Agricultural Marketing: Market Reforms and Emergence of New Channels (India Studies in Business and Economics)

"The proposed book provides an assessment of an important yet controversial policy initiated by the Indian government and governments of several other developing countries. Marketing reforms, it is claimed, can be a crucial answer to solving the problem of rural poverty in agrarian economies where large sections of populace are engaged in low paying agriculture. On a wider front, these reforms could help in providing growth impetus to an economy and even the global economy at large. Yet, the subject of liberalizing agricultural markets is also part of a broad and perhaps a bitter political debate between national and sub-national policy makers and academic discourses in India and other countries. A clearer understanding and a possible resolution of the issues involved will be decidedly useful. The experience of India, one of the largest and most agriculture-dominated economies, will undoubtedly provide valuable lessons not only for steering the domestic economic policy but also for other countries to set their own policy agenda. The book attempts to capture the evolving reality in a large and diverse country and presents an objective evaluation to enable aspiring investors and those in policy making, food business and civil society to make more informed assessment and decision." -- Library of Congress Front Matter....Pages i-xv Introduction....Pages 1-14 Evolution and Reconstitution of Markets....Pages 15-27 International Perspectives and Lessons Gained....Pages 29-42 Objectives, Data and Methodology....Pages 43-64 India’s Agricultural Markets: Regulation and Revitalization....Pages 65-82 Contemporary Reforms and the Transitions in Sample States....Pages 83-106 Socio-economic Conditions and Agriculture in Sample States....Pages 107-119 Selling to Corporate Marketing Intermediaries....Pages 121-138 Selling to Processors on Contract....Pages 139-157 Selling to Organized Retailers....Pages 159-174 Direct Marketing by Farmers....Pages 175-188 Contracts with Local Traders in West Bengal....Pages 189-198 Local Marketing Support in Bihar....Pages 199-206 The Transition in India: An Integrated View....Pages 207-222 Reconsidering Agricultural Marketing in India....Pages 223-236 Back Matter....Pages 237-311