6186 Marketing Behaviour of Organic Farmers in Karur district of Tamil Nadu P. Raahinipriya1 and R. Jansi Rani2 ABSTRACT In the recent past, most of the developed countries and some of the developing countries are returning to organic farming cultivation. For sustaining a healthy ecosystem there is a need for adoption of organic farming in India. The study was conducted in Karur district of Tamil Nadu to assess the marketing behavior of organic farmers. Nearly three-fourths of the respondents had medium level of marketing behavior. Keywords: Marketing behavior; Organic farming; Food security; Market information; Price fixing; Tamil Nadu 1.PG Scholar, Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Sociology, TNAU, Coimbatore and 2.Professor (Agrl. Extension), Dept. of Sustainable Organic Agriculture, TNAU, Coimbatore-641 003, Tamil Nadu. Research Note Journal of Extension Education Vol. 30 No. 4, 2018 DOI:https://doi.org/10.26725/JEE.2018.4.30.6186-6189 The need for organic farming in India arises from the unsustainability of agricultural production and the damage caused to ecology through the conventional farming practices. Many techniques used in organic farming like inter-cropping, mulching and integration of crops and livestock are not alien to various agriculture systems including the traditional agriculture practiced in old countries like India. However, organic farming is based on various laws and certification programmes, which prohibit the use of almost all synthetic inputs, and health of the soil is recognised as the central theme of the method (Narayanan, 2005). Organic agriculture is practiced in 172 countries, and 43.70 million hectares of agricultural land are managed organically by approximately 2.3 million farmers. The study assessed the marketing behaviour of the organic farmers which would provide an understanding about the status of organic farming in Karur district of Tamil Nadu. METHODOLOGY The study was conducted in Karur district of Tamil Nadu. Karur district comprises eight blocks, viz., Karur, Thanthoni, Aravakurichi, K.Paramathi, Krishnarayapuram, Kulithali, Thogamalai, and Kadavur. Among these eight blocks, Kadavur, Aravakurichi and Kulithalai blocks were selected for the study based on more number of organic farmers. Among these blocks, a total of 90 organic farmers were selected for the study by using convenient sampling technique. The overall marketing behaviour of the organic farmers was studied using 10 components. Simple percentage analysis was carried out for the study. Received : 04-05-2018; Accepted : 01-04-2019 6187 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION Marketing Behaviour of the Organic Farmers The distribution of respondents according to their marketing behaviour is presented in Table 1. Table 1. Marketing Behaviour of Respondents (n = 90) Particulars Num ber * Percen tage Overall Marketing behaviour Low 14 15.60 Medium 66 73.30 High 10 11.10 Time of sale As soon as harvest is over 51 56.66 When price is attractive 23 25.56 When need of cash 16 17.78 Price fixing criteria Based on cost of production 75 83.33 Based on demand for the produce 15 16.67 Mode of sale Local Merchants 52 57.78 Contractors 5 5.56 Wholesalers 17 18.89 Commission mandi 16 17.77 Particulars Num ber * Percen tage Mode of transport Bicycle 3 3.33 Tempo van/ Tractor 49 54.45 Moped 27 30.00 Lorry 11 12.22 Expenditure incurred on transport High 35 38.89 Medium 40 44.44 Low 15 16.67 Place of sale Field itself 23 25.56 In the Village 16 17.78 Nearby town 43 47.78 Other State/ District 8 8.88 Reasons for selection of market Proximity to the place of production 52 57.78 Higher price 31 34.44 Cash payment 7 7.78 Distance to the Market Up to 5 km 6 6.67 5- 10 km 11 12.22 11-15 km 22 24.44 16-20 km 16 17.78 More than 20 km 35 38.89 Marketing Behaviour of Organic Farmers in Karur district of Tamil Nadu 6188 Particulars Num ber * Percen tage Source of market information Relatives and friends 51 56.67 Local marketing centers 19 21.11 Commission agents 13 14.44 Contractors 6 6.67 Retailers 1 1.11 Collection of money Immediately after sale 63 70.00 1-2 days after sale 16 17.78 A week after sale 7 7.78 15 days after sale 2 2.22 A month after sale 2 2.22 * Multiple responses Nearly three-fourth (73.30 %) of the respondents had medium level of marketing behaviour where as 15.60 per cent of the respondents had low level of marketing behaviour. Item-wise Marketing Behaviour of the Respondents The marketing behaviour of organic farmers was studied with the identified 10 components namely time of sale, price fixing criteria, mode of sale, mode of transport, expenditure incurred on transport, place of sale, reason for selection of market, distance of the market, source of market information and collection of money. More than half (56.66 %) of the respondents had sold the entire produce immediately after harvest because they would be in need of money for meeting their farm and home expenses. Sivaraj et al (2018) had obtained similar results in an analogous study. Majority (83.33 %) of the respondents fixed the price based on the cost of production, the reason being farmers would expect more returns as well as to overcome the future risks. More than half (57.78 %) of the respondents sold their produce directly to local merchants because they needed immediate payments for their produce. More than half (54.45 %) of the respondents used tempo van/ tractor for transporting their produce because most of the respondents owned tractor and therefore they utilized it to transport the produce to nearby towns and outside the towns. Less than half (44.44 %) of the respondents had medium level of expenditure on transport and the reason behind this was that most of the respondents had used their own tempo van/ tractor for transporting their produce. Nearly half (47.78 %) of the respondents sold their produce in nearby towns because they would have preferred marketing the produce at the markets located within 10 km distance. About 57.78 per cent of the respondents selected the market based on proximity to the place of production as the respondents did not want to spend more money on transport. More than one-third (38.89 %) of the respondents marketed their produce in the markets located at the distance of more than 20 km because they preferred to sell their produce in semi urban / urban areas. Over half (56.67 %) of the respondents came to know the price trends in Journal of Extension Education 6189 the market through relatives and friends and the reason might be that the farmers living in the villages were found to have acted as the sources of market information. More than two- thirds (70.00 %) of the respondents sold their produce for immediate payment of money in order to meet their expenses of household activities and also to clear the debts. This study revealed that the respondents were found to have medium to high level of marketing behaviour. The result might be due to the reason that the respondents had a good knowledge about the marketing trend so as to get good price for their produce. The respondents also received market information through mobiles and some of the respondents were registered farmers of Domestic & Exports Market Intelligence Cell (DEMIC), Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. Most of the farmers had subscribed to monthly magazines like TNAU’s Valarum Velanmai and Pasumai Vikadan. In order to improve the marketing behaviour of organic farmers, direct marketing / linkages by farmers groups with their end user institutions can be created by government intervention. Government may provide price related information to the organic farmers for their organic produce at correct time for enhancing their marketing abilities. REFERENCES Narayanan, S. (2005). Organic Farming in India: Relevance, Problems and Constraints, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development. Sivaraj, P, Philip, H & Pirabu, JV.(2018) Marketing behaviour of certified organic farmers in Tamil Nadu. Journal of Extension Education, 30(3) Marketing Behaviour of Organic Farmers in Karur district of Tamil Nadu