PRODUCTION AND MARKETING CONSTRAINTS OF VEGETABLE GROWERS IN PUNJAB: A CASE STUDY OF LUDHIANA DISTRICT OF PUNJAB

The study at hand focusses on identifying the problems and constraints faced by the farmers during production and marketing of vegetables in Punjab. Owing to various challenges faced by the state with respect to wheat and paddy production, crop diversification is strongly recommended and vegetable cultivation is seen as a means to it. Simple random sampling technique was used for selection or respondents in the study area. Ludhiana district of Punjab was selected purposively for the collection of primary data from vegetable farmers. Next, five villages namely Ayali Kalan, Bains, Dewatwal, Baddowal and Pamal were selected from which a sample of 75 farmers were selected for collection of information through a well-structured schedule. The study showed that most of the vegetable growers were small and marginal Furthermore the study revealed that nearly 87 per cent of the respondents reported high input cost as the major production constraint followed by non-availability of institutional credit, high land rent, lack of farm mechanisation, labour shortage and yield loss were the major production constraints of the farmers. On the other hand almost 92 per cent of the vegetable growers reported lack of remunerative price as the major marketing constraint followed by no market access, high transportation cost, and non-availability of market information and distressed sale of produce.