Marketing and Constraints in Black Gram Cultivation: A Study in Assam, India

This study examined black gram marketing channels, marketing costs, price spread, producer returns, and production and marketing constraints in the Dhubri and Barpeta districts of Assam. A total of 120 growers were selected from 12 villages in four blocks. Marketing-channel performance was compared using marketing costs, margins, price spread, producers' share in the consumer rupee, and marketing efficiency, while reported constraints were ranked using the Garrett ranking approach. Three marketing channels were identified. Channel II (Producer → Retailer → Consumer) was the most frequently used, accounting for 49.17% of sampled growers, followed by Channel III (35.83%) and Channel I (15.00%). Channel I (Producer → Consumer) recorded the highest producer's share in the consumer rupee (98.96%), the smallest price spread (Rs 97.14 per quintal), and the highest marketing efficiency (95.21). Channel III recorded the highest total marketing cost (Rs 341.43 per quintal) and the largest price spread (Rs 865.69 per quintal). In production, irrigation problems, pest and disease infestation, high labour wages, and costly inputs were the leading reported constraints. For marketing, high transportation costs, price fluctuations, inadequate storage, and commission charges were prominent concerns. The findings suggest that improving irrigation and storage facilities and expanding feasible direct-marketing opportunities could address some of the constraints encountered by growers in the selected districts.