Agriculture has Evolved but Marketing Trick is Not!

   Agriculture as a major subject of importance has evolved a lot over the years with opening up of different avenues with the advancement of science and technology. Now agriculture is a vast subject covering different discipline that is taught in various agricultural Universities in the country.

    However, agricultural development has been concentrated to the activity that are more suitably associated with increasing yield, pest & disease resistance, nutritive improvement, evading stress period etc to name a few.

   But, what it did not impact to the farming community is; tricks to compete with the fellow farmers through such farming endeavor that is more competitive and relevant in the present condition at least as per present market condition is concerned. That is to say that marketing aspect is little lacking compare to other discipline.

  In marketing, the marketing executive employs different techniques or trick to sell his / her brand of product and in the process, even tries to out perform some parallel product which has been dominating in the market. Of course, same also applies at market level as far as agricultural produce is concerned.

  In case of agriculture sector, farmers employing any tricks to remain competitive and stay relevant in the present condition is least observed. In agriculture sector, most prominent / predominant activities are simply following the fellow farmers and when such blanket following happens then you expect very little innovativeness in terms of new idea to excel in the prevailing market condition.

  Take the case of Rubber, in present condition, rubber is most preferred plantation crop in Tripura therefore, people are eying and pursuing for rubber plantation. Do they (other farmers) ever look for other alternative?

  Similarly, cereal crop Rice, it is such that everybody cultivates rice in their land. Of course, here one point that act or binds the people is due to their food habit.  That is; being rice consumer therefore, rice has become ultimate choice for the farmers too.

  But, these gives little edge in terms of competitiveness in the market that is in terms of profitability depending on market demands. What farmers are doing is stereotypical having no innovativeness?

   In case of blanket following, you fall when they fall. And you also fall, if you have less capitalization even if you are in the side of might. That means by blindly following the mighty will not work as far economic profitability is concerned.

 It is not that innovativeness does not happen in agriculture sector but scale or number at which it is being happening is not up to the mark looking to the present market condition.

   Take a small example of one farmers who remained competitive and stayed relevant even though he had not followed the general mass who relied on the tried and tested concept; instead he pursued different things with tested concept; in stead he pursued different things with anticipation that produce fetches good market demand and price too.

  For this to happen farmers should look around of surroundings and, based on the trends he should take decision what should be taken up for realizing the farm profit in the less profitable market of Agriculture produce.

Agritangkol dated 10.07.2012