A Study of Marketing of Non-Timber Forest Products in UT of Jammu and Kashmir

摘要

The present study was conducted in Rajouri and Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir state as Anardana and Kalazeera were the niche product of these areas. Four major blocks of Rajouri namely Doongi, Rajouri, Kalakote and Manjakote and two major blocks of Kishtwar namely Nagseni and Paddar were selected and fifteen farmers were selected randomly from each block constituting a sample of 60 farmers from district Rajouri and 30 farmers from district Kishtwar. A preliminary market survey was conducted in both the districts to identify the major commercial NFTPs in both the districts and it was found that Anardana (Punica granatum), Amla (Emblica officinalis Geartn.) and Guchi (Morchella esculenta) were major commercial NTFPs in Rajouri district whereasin Kishtwar district, Kalazeera (Bunium persicum) and Guchi (Morchella esculenta) were the commercially viable NTFPs. A total of three marketing channels were found in Rajouri which were farmer to consumer, farmer to village trader to wholesaler/retailer to consumer and farmer to wholesaler/retailer to consumer while the marketing channels followed by the famers of Kishtwar district for Kalazeera were farmer to consumer and farmer to wholesaler/ retailer to consumer. In case of Anardana, majority of farmers followed channel-Ill, while the most efficient one was channel-I (3.99) and in case of Kalazeera, the most frequent channel was channel-I which was most efficient (83.00).