Market-information systems for the up-country vegetable farmers and marketers in Sri Lanka

Abstract

A well-developed market-information system helps the farmers to plan their own production system, to harvest at the most profitable time, to decide on which market they should send the produce and negotiate on a more even footing with traders. The objective of this study was to find out about the market-information system for the up-country vegetable growers and the marketers (wholesalers and retailers) in Sri Lanka and its effect on the marketing process. The main market-information source for vegetable farmers was the wholesaler followed by local collectors and neighbouring farmers. The majority of them had already obtained price information from their respective information sources. But there was a lack of information concerning quantity and quality required and of the existing markets. There are positive relationships between the farm-gate price and wholesale price information received, information on quantity required, information on the required quality and information on the existing markets. The main marketing-information sources of both wholesalers and retailers were interpersonal informal sources such as other wholesalers, retailers, brokers, market-place owners, et cetera. They was less exposure to mass-media sources such as radio, television and newspapers.