Publication: India - Taking Agriculture to the Market
Date
2008-10
ISSN
Published
2008-10
Author(s)
World Bank
Abstract
Policy makers in India recognize the
importance o f well-functioning markets to agricultural
growth, food security, and broad-based rural development.
Markets facilitate the commercialization and diversification
of farming, and they are essential for efficiently bringing
food and agricultural products to domestic and international
consumers. Well functioning domestic markets can reduce the
cost of food and assure stability of supply, which as the
recent global food crisis has highlighted, are key to
assuring the food security of poor and non-poor households.
They also open opportunities for greater value-addition and
employment throughout the economy. The rapid growth of the
Indian economy is bringing new forces for change in
agricultural marketing and processing systems. Changes in
consumer demand are fueled by rising incomes, increasing
urbanization, a growing middle class demanding more
diversified and higher-quality food, more working women
demanding access to prepared or processed foods and more
convenient shopping under one roof, and increased exposure
to products through wider media penetration (domestic and
international television, cable, and internet). These forces
in turn drive changes in the structure of marketing and
encourage agricultural diversification.
Citation
“World Bank. 2008. India - Taking Agriculture to the Market. © Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/c498f89a-1ae5-53ff-9d48-2ffe15dd6907 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”