Abstract

The study was undertaken to know the marketing behaviour of flower cultivators and constraints in marketing of flowers among 120 flower cultivators in Nilakkottai block of Dindigul district, Tamil Nadu. The study reveals that majority (54.17%) of the flower cultivators preferred polythene bag as the packing material. With regard to mode of transport, 45.83 per cent of flower cultivators transport the flowers through bicycle to the market, majority (71.67%) of the flower cultivators sold their produce at nearby town and 29.33 per cent of the respondents sold their produce at distant towns and preferred to sell their produce through commission agents. Nearly three-fourths (70%) sold their produce for credit. More than one-third (41.67%) of the respondents brought their produce to the market within the range of 5 to 10 km distance. More than half (51.67%) of the respondents reported that receipt of advance was the reason for the selection of market. Regarding constraints in marketing, the foremost and predominant problems faced by majority of the flower cultivators were the price fluctuations (73.33%), more commission (60%) inadquate transport facilities (56.67%), improper weighment (55%), poor link road facilities (47.50%), delayed payment (43.33%) a price fixed by commission agents (40%), high cost of transport (25.83%) and lack of cold storage facilities (23.33%).

Keywords: Marketing, Flower Cultivators