Vegetable Zone Dhading Conducted Market Promotion Workshop.

Zone Implementation unit (vegetable zone), Dhading on the date of 2018/04/10 organized a market promotion workshop at conference hall of Krishak Sudhar fruit and vegetable cooperatives, Charaudi. The target groups of this workshop were the committee members and sub-committee members of the recently formed zone implementation committee. The objectives was to identify the underlying constraints and challenges in the vegetable markets, marketing and then to create discussion within the participants, with the facilitation of experts, to locate the immediate and long term potential solutions.

The program was scheduled in three distinct segments. The first segment was felicitation of the newly formed zone implementation committee, welcoming subject matter specialist Mr. Subash Shrestha and chief administrative officer Mr. Sameer Singh Magar.

The second session included paper presentation from Mr. Ramhari Timilsina, representative from central agriculture commodity marketing board, Mr. Binod Lamichhane, representative from District Agriculture Development Office (DADO), Gorkha; Mr. Keshav Raj Kafle, senior agriculture development officer of vegetable zone Dhading and Mr. Nilkantha Paudel, agriculture technician at Benighat Rorang Rural Municipality.

Mr. Timilsina brought attention towards the increasing agriculture imports and decreasing exports. He stated that the farmers’ union was not strong enough to influence major national policy and market structures. The market power of middlemen is increasing disproportionately. He also said that farmers not being updated about current market prices, changes in the market.

Mr. Lamichhane started his presentation stating the tremendous opportunity this vegetable zone brings with it. He made an appeal to utilize this opportunity and achieve the aim of agriculture commercialization and industrilaisation put forward by Prime Minister Agriculture Modernization Project (PMAMP). He advised the need to upgrade nursery, product specialization, exploring off seasons production further. He said that profit based marketing strategy should be our aim and the need to use social media and internet of things to promote their products and draw useful insights. He refereed program planning and strategic marketing as the need of our times.

Mr. Kafle stated his presentation with the concepts of markets, types of markets, features of marketing, the various aspects of marketing and the strategic tools that could be used in marketing like product diversification, market expansion, developing new products etc. He made a strong case for need to cooperate in achieving mutual goals so that the blind spots of each involved stakeholder be it cooperatives, farmers, vegetable zone, local governing bodies. He used didactic short stories to relay his message.

Mr. Paudel talked about the haphazard nature of Nepalese agriculture markets and the inefficient, long supply chain. He talked about 8 % commission system being implemented in Chitwan markets where farmer bring their products to markets, middlemen sell them at retail prices and they keep 8% of total sales and give rest of the money to farmers. He talked about the corrupt, syndicate system that has been plaguing Nepalese agriculture markets and barring farmers and cooperatives to have access in such spaces. A case of Kalimati was brought where farmer’s groups/cooperatives get very few stalls which forces farmers to sell to middlemen instead of selling it themselves.  He discussed about the increasing consumer awareness and the increasing demand of high quality food stuffs. He emphasized on the need to decrease costs of cultivation and costs of marketing.

After these series of presentation, three groups were formed and each group was allocated a topic to brainstorm about the root causes, possible solutions and relevant stakeholders. The groups were market oriented production process, transportation and commercialization.

Group 1: Market Oriented Production process

Problems

Ø  No study regarding real market/customer wants

Ø  Lack of information or information dissemination

Ø  Lack of technical knowledge and expertise

Ø  Limited access of farmers to wholesale markets

Ø  Delayed, inadequate availability of production inputs

Group 2: Transportation of agricultural commodity

Problems

Ø  Seasonal, muddy roads where only limited vehicles can go

Ø  Cost of transportation is higher

Ø  Once the commodity has been brought for sale, they cannot be taken back or stored which decreases farmer’s bargaining power

Ø  Expensive vehicles which farmers/cooperatives cannot afford to buy themselves

Group 3: Commercialization

Problems

Ø  Imbalanced market power between producers and middlemen

Ø  Product differentiation according to quality is lacking

Ø  Current status of local, regional and national markets do not favor farmer

After these presentations, concluding remarks were given by chairman of the program Mr. Hemnath Thapaliya, chairman of the Krishak Sudhar Vegetables and Fruits Cooperative and also chairman of the recently formed zone implementation committee.