Leapfrogging the Interventions of ICT Tools in Vegetable Intensification Pathways of Tamil Nadu: Farm Level Perceptions§

摘要

Vegetable crops have strong potential for income generation and making farming a viable proposition. But, the major constraints encountered by vegetable growers including perishability, market price fluctuation, and escalating cost of cultivation marthe prospects. This study has addressed farm profitability and value chain management aspects of tomato growers in the Salem, Dindigul and Krishnagiri districts of Tamil Nadu. A sample size of 300 respondents was used for the study. The study has revealed a skewed price spread at the farmers' end. At the same time, Shepherd's index has also been found very low (1.22), indicating market efficiency to be dismal. Though the majority of tomato growers perceived the need of vegetable clusters, 47 per cent ofthem were unaware of market intelligence services spearheaded by the use of information and communication technology (ICT) tools. The study has suggested leveraging the use of ICT tools to develop vegetable clusters in the vegetable intensification pathways. This will bring in not only horizontal integration of vegetable growers but also vertical integration of all members of the supply chain.