The Buffalo Marketing System in Solapur Cattle Market Centre of Solapur District: A Geographical Study

Abstract

Livestock play a very important and vital role in our Indian economy. In short, livestock is the back bone of Indian agriculture. Livestock industry plays important role in creation of thousands of employment opportunities through-out the country. An effective marketing merely link sellers and buyers and react to the current situation of supply and demand. It has dynamic role in consumption, the essentials of economic development. In view of the above following are the specific objectives of the present investigation. To examine the general trade practices, To study the marketing practices and intermediaries involved in marketing of buffaloes The typical Solapur buffalo belongs to the group macrocerus like Jafrabadi, Mehsana, Nagpuri, Surti and Pandharpuri breeds are famous as good milker and known as poor man’s buffalo. As Solapur district is having a quite large population of buffaloes, almost every family in the district maintains at least a buffalo and these buffaloes play important role in improving the socio- economic condition of the farmers. Thus, it is felt necessary to probe into the marketing of buffaloes in Solapur district. Generally, traders purchased buffaloes mainly for resale those sales off within a week time in this market and other cattle market. Large number of unauthorized brokers was also reported in these markets. The study was based on the quantitative information obtained by contacting sample sellers, buyers, traders and middlemen from this market on market day in the year 2009 to 2010. Secondary data of buffalo were collected from respective Agricultural produce market committee. The data were tabulated and analyzed to work out average and percentages.