13 pages, Current study was conducted during 2020 by Department of Economics, Fatima Jinnah Women
University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan to study evaluate the marketing channel of vegetables in
Punjab pertaining to farm’s profitability and the factors determining this profit based on primary
data collected from 100 farmers each for 4 selected vegetables . Data were collected through
structured questionnaire from 36 villages out of 7 cities of Faisalabad division while from 28
villages out of 5 cities of Bahawalpur division through purposive sampling technique. Gross
margin analysis and mean regression was done to estimate the determinants of profit both at
division level and for the pooled data. The gross margin per acre was calculated at Rs.171,676
for cucumber, Rs. 171,649 for green chilies, Rs. 315,229 for tomatoes and Rs. 33,002 for onions.
The regression results showed age, farming experience, credit and storage facilities, production
cost and commission to the middle man as significantly contributing factors in profit while
the choice of production technique appeared to be particularly depending on the educational
qualification of selected farmers. The peak age that yielded maximum profit was calculated at
49 and 42 years in Faisalabad and Bahawalpur division, respectively. Experience of farmers
was significantly increased in profit. The commission to agent surpasses all other payments that
farmers incurred during marketing process. The margin was around 39% and 33% of total cost
for cucumber and chilies in Faisalabad while 34% and 43% percent for tomatoes and onion in
Bahawalpur. So the enactment of farmers with middle man for the sale of crop was due to heavy
reliance on them for loans; around 80 percent famers in Faisalabad while about 40 percent
in Bahawalpur sought loans from middle man. The study suggested that healthy competition
among farmers by providing them adequate storage facilities, sufficient credit, perfect market
information and education could contribute positively in adopting advanced modes of production
to minimize the production and marketing cost.
4 pages, Sustaining farm profitability has been challenging for North Carolina smallholder farmers facing
market failure. Small farms earning between $10,000 or less and $50,000 annually in net farm income need alternative practices that will make them more profitable. This study assesses North Carolina small farmers’ understanding and attitudes towards value-added agriculture. We conducted farmer focus group interviews and analyzed the data using Qualitative Data Analysis Miner Lite. We found that the main drivers of value-added agriculture include improving on-farm profitability, product expansion, and market growth. High production costs and lack of government assistance are some of the factors limiting value-added participation.
