An Evaluative Study of Farmers’ Opinion about the Agricultural Produce Market Committee, Nagpur

Abstract

Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs) play a crucial role in regulating agricultural marketing and providing an organized platform for farmers to sell their produce. The present study titled “An Evaluative Study of Farmers’ Opinion on Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC), Nagpur” aims to examine farmers’ perception regarding the functioning of APMC Nagpur and its related services. The study focuses on four major constructs: functioning of Nagpur APMC, facilities provided by APMC, infrastructure of APMC, and problems faced by farmers while operating in the market. Primary data for the study were collected during the year 2025 from farmers associated with the Nagpur APMC through a structured questionnaire.

To understand variations in perception, demographic variables such as age, educational qualification, and years of farming experience were considered. The average mean value method was used to assess the level of farmers’ perception for each construct. Furthermore, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was applied to test twelve hypotheses examining whether significant differences existed in farmers’ perceptions across different demographic groups.

The findings of the study reveal that the overall perception of farmers regarding the functioning, facilities, and infrastructure of Nagpur APMC is generally negative, ranging from low to moderate levels. Farmers also reported several operational and marketing-related problems within the APMC system. The results of ANOVA indicate that there is no significant difference in perception among farmers belonging to different age groups, educational levels, and years of farming experience. Consequently, all the null hypotheses were accepted. This suggests that farmers across various demographic categories share similar views regarding the performance and challenges of Nagpur APMC.

The study highlights the need for improvements in market facilities, infrastructure development, and better management practices within APMC Nagpur. Strengthening these aspects could enhance farmers’ satisfaction and improve the overall efficiency of agricultural marketing in the region.