Beyond the Harvest: A Comprehensive Analysis of Socio-economic Factors Influencing Fruit Supply in State-run Markets of Kashmir

Abstract

The socio-economic traits and constraints that impact the fruit supply in market centres in the Kashmir Valley, India, were evaluated. The logistic regression modelling and Garrett ranking method were used to assess the significance and relative importance of various factors affecting fruit supply. The findings revealed that important socio-economic factors impacting fruit supply in market centres are—market information, landholding size, distance to market, quantity produced, access to credit and extension services. The constraints were—inadequate market infrastructure and information, financial insecurities, management insufficiencies and inadequate cold storage facilities affecting fruit supply chains. These findings provided valuable policy insights by identifying and understanding the socio-economic factors that affect fruit supply, appropriate interventions and policies required.

JEL Classification: Q11, Q12, Q13, Q14, Q16