State level cattle fairs of Rajasthan play an important role in the socio-economic matrix of the state. In spite of the importance of these cattle fairs, number of both assembled and transacted animals has been decreasing over the years due to several constraints. The present study was conducted during 2011 to identify the constraints faced by different marketing functionaries in the state level cattle fairs. According to sellers, lack of infrastructure, inadequate feeds and fodder availability at fair, un-remunerative margin, difficulty in transportation, lack of sanitation, lack of market information, harassment at check points, lack of security at night and difficulty to convince buyers were major constraints. Buyers on the other hand reported lack of infrastructure, inadequate feed and fodder availability, delay in &ldquo;Rawana&rdquo; (departure date), high &nbsp;market price of animals, malpractices, difficulty in transportation, lack of sanitation, lack of market information, harassment at check points and lack of security at night as some important constraints in the state level cattle fairs of &nbsp;Rajasthan.

Prioritization of constraints faced by different marketing functionaries&nbsp;in the organised cattle fairs of Rajasthan

Indian agricultural marketing system is suffering from various problems viz. improper warehousing, lack of grading and packaging, inadequate transport facilities, presence of large number of middlemen, malpractices of traders, inadequate market information and insufficient funds etc. Long chain of middlemen decrease the producer&rsquo;s share in consumer rupee and exploit the farmer. Though Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMCs) under the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee Act, 1964 control and regulate buying and selling operations at all regulated agriculture marketing yards but there are lot of inefficiencies involved in practices of APMCs. However amended APMC Act prevents anticompetitive practices. There is no compulsion on the producer to sell their produce in APMC market yards, producer are quite free to sell directly to private companies or private market yards or farmers-consumer market under amended APMC Act. The present Study has analysed awareness and perception of apple growers regarding amended APMC Act. Two districts of Himachal Pradesh viz. Shimla and Kullu were selected on the basis of highest apple production. Apple growers were divided in two groups viz. Group 1 (growers who follow traditional supply chain) and Group 2 (growers who follow traditional and modern supply chain both).&nbsp;

Impact of amended APMC act on apple business in Himachal Pradesh, India 
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Background: Goat farming in India significantly contributes in the rural employment. Goats and its products have thriving markets worldwide, including in Asia, Africa and Europe. Demand is mostly driven by increased purchasing power, but other variables also contribute a lot. The vast majority of domestic markets rely on local demand and do not cross international borders. The study was performed on Bundelkhandi goat breed of Uttar Pradesh to identify the prospects of goat farming in this region. 
 
Methods: The study was conducted in Jalaun district of Bundelkhand region over the year 2023-24. Data was systematically collected and analysed from 120 goat farmers and 20 market intermediaries involved in its marketing process. Cost analysis methodology was adopted to estimate various costs involved. Acharya&rsquo;s method was adopted to calculate the market efficiency for different marketing channels and Garrett ranking technique was used to categorize&nbsp; and identify the production and marketing constraints. 
 
Result: The results of the study area revealed that the average flock size of small, medium and large category in Jalaun district was found as 3.5, 9.5, 22.85. The major investment was involved in purchasing of goats. Total variable cost involved was 81.9 per cent and the share of total fixed cost was found to be 18.01 per cent of the total cost. Returns from animal sale was found to be the maximum In this present study, four marketing channels were found in the Jalaun district: 1) Channel I: Farmer-Farmer. 2) Channel II: Farmer- Retailer. 3) Channel III: Farmer - Village Trader-Retailer. 4) Channel IV: Farmer-Village Trader-Local trader-Distant trader. Since there was no any intermediary involved in channel I and there was no price spread, that&rsquo;s why it was considered as a most efficient channel in the district. Further, in Jalaun district, channel II had higher efficiency with 5.0 followed by channel III (4.89) and channel IV (4.45). Disease incidence, high veterinary expenses, costly concentrate feed, costly dry fodder, malpractices by middle men and distant markets were found to be the most faced production and marketing constraints by the farmers. 
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Marketing Efficiency, Costs and Price Spread among Different Market Functionaries Involved in Marketing of Goat in Bundelkhand Region of Uttar Pradesh

Prioritization of constraints faced by different marketing functionaries in the organised cattle fairs of Rajasthan

Impact of amended APMC act on apple business in Himachal Pradesh, India

Marketing Efficiency, Costs and Price Spread among Different Market Functionaries Involved in Marketing of Goat in Bundelkhand Region of Uttar Pradesh