Consumer Sovereignty: Exploring Consumer Needs

摘要

In the transitional economies, international aid agencies have traditionally focused on improving productivity. While the introduction of improved seed, agronomic practices and improved postharvest handling systems may indeed result in significant improvements in productivity per unit area, this is no guarantee that producers will benefit financially. In a market where prices are determined primarily by supply and demand, any marked increase in production may exert significant downward pressure on price. The extent to which this eventuates will be determined by the perishability of the product, the availability of postharvest storage systems, the consumer demand for the product, product quality, and the cost and availability of substitute products. This paper argues that even in the transitional economies, the adoption of the marketing concept is as equally applicable as it is in the industrialised nations, given the increasing globalisation of agribusiness food chains.