UPSC Mains 2020 · GS III · Q3 · 10 marks · 150 words

What are the main constraints in transport and marketing of agricultural produce in India?

हिन्दी में

भारत में कृषि उत्पादों के परिवहन एवं विपणन में मुख्य बाधाएँ क्या हैं?

Agricultural Marketing

How a topper answered the closest question

Toppers wrote this one in a test series: “India's post-harvest losses amount to approximately ₹1,52,790 crore annually. To what extent can post-harvest losses in India be attributed to the constraints in the transport and marketing of agricultural products?”

Raghav JhunjhunwalaAIR 4 · CSE 2025 · 154 wordsTheir whole copy

Opening · a figure

India's post harvest losses are its Achilles heel to its Agri prosperity (& DFI) as per Dalwai committee.

Body · points

ROLE of transport deficit:

  1. Disproportionate Impact on Perishable items

  2. unsanitary conditions of transport: consignment Rejection.

  3. lack of All weather & metalled Rural roads

  4. lack of farm gate procurement.

Role of marketing deficit

  1. Dalwai committee: farmers receive only 15-40% of all payment by Retail customer.

  2. limited opportunities for farmers beyond APMC

Diagram
* APMC level issues * 1 -> corruption * 2 -> Poorly trained Arhatiyas (middlemen) * 3 -> too much state taxations fees

(4) Poor farmer awareness w.r.t e-NAM or other platforms.

Other factors at play

(1) Frequent Export Bans and MEP imposition (Minimum Export Price) — Ashok Gulati

(2) Poor agreements & challenges of non tariff barriers to Exports (Ex: Sanitary & Phyto sanitary)

(3) Poor storage infra, esp. cold storage godowns.

(4) Limited pvt sector investment and startups.

(5) Climate change impacts

Recent Interventions:

Diagram
- Transport - (1) Krishi Udan - (2) Krishi Rail - Marketing - (1) KISAN Dehaat (DigiTech) - (2) E-NAM (connects APMC) - (3) Corporate farming (Ex: MY Fun ventures)

Way Forward

Diagram
- Swaminathan comm. (NCF) - (1) Engage MNREGA to build common storage - (2) Incentivize pvt. sector investment - (3) Focus on perishable and high value crops (Ex: Floriculture) - (4) Improve on pest infection resistance

Close · a way forward

Thus, along with above challenges we must need to be ready with climate change threats.

5 more toppers’ answers to this question, part by part, and how they all approached it: open the question.

Toppers’ answers to other close questions

Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Main) Examination 2020, General Studies Paper III, Q3. The paper on upsc.gov.in. Themes and links to toppers’ answers are by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.