Abstract

Introduction. Of late, there has been a cry from scientists and leaders of thought "Grow more fruits" and "Eat more fruits". Experts in diete- tics are also of opinion that at present the use of fruits as one of the items of our daily food is quite inadequate and that deficiency of fruits and fruit products in the diet is highly detrimental to the health of the people. The backwardness of the Indian farmer in adopting scientific methods of fruit growing is recognised as an impediment to the production of fruits on a large scale. The lack of marketing facilities and the proverbial ignorance of marketing conditions by the fruit grower, add to the deterioration of the fruit-growing industry. It is, therefore, considered necessary that for en- suring and stimulating the health of our people, improvements in scientific farming must go hand in hand with the improvement in the method and disposal of the produce. The marketing of fresh fruits, their transfer from the producers to the consumer, is an important and indispensable activity. It involves a varied and often complex distribution and sales system, and it is usually costly. It is due to the uncertainties of the trade, the risks in- volved and the various services performed in modern distribution and marketing. Accordingly the difference in price between what the grower receives for his product and what the consumer pays is often considerable indeed. Marketing of fruits is attended by various groups of people, buyers, wholesalers, jobbers, retailers, etc. Each successive middleman specialises to some extent in a particular function and service. There is, however, con- siderable overlapping in the activities of the various agencies and a con- tinuous adjustment in methods of distribution especially since the advent of the use of motor bus, lorries and train service in transportation. The system is sometimes made simpler by a "link" or middleman being dropped out, but occasionally it becomes more complex due to the necessity of interpo- sing a new agency between the existing ones.

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