Value Chain Analysis for Gobindobhog rice in Burdwan district of West Bengal, India

Abstract

Rice is the most important crop and staple food for majority of people in India. Farmers grow a large number of rice varieties depending on soil, climate, test, preferences, market demand and socio-economic conditions of farmers across the country. Rising income of consumers across the globe have increased the demand for quality rice particularly the basmati or other scented rice. Gobindobhog rice is one among the promising non-basmati but scented rice produced by farmers in some areas of West Bengal and usually traded through traditional marketing channel. Value chain analysis on this rice variety is likely to explore the under-utilised market potential and thereby facilitating better dividends to the growers. This paper applies the knowledge of value chain analysis of Gobindobhog variety, which if handled properly could create a huge position in the international market. The study was made intra state study for Gobindabhog in the villages Raina 1 block, Burdwan district of West Bengal. The study of value chain was focused to improve the loopholes that are related to chain so as to bring about a development at various levels of stakeholders’ participation in the entire value chain. The dominant marketing channel was studied for the variety. This was a qualitative study mainly done through purposive sampling at different stakeholders level in the entire market value chain of the gobindobhog variety. The area was purposively chosen as it it is major gobindobhog producing area in India. Information sharing among the actors was found very limited and the means of market information was personal interview for respondent farmers and telephone call for traders. From the study we found that farmers were facing several constraints of productions and marketing. The major production constraints were lack of irrigation facility, diseases, insect, and lack of technical knowledge, high price of input, lack of credit facility. Likewise, in marketing constraints faced by farmers were lack of market information, unorganized marketing, high transportation cost, low price offered by traders and lack of storage facilities. The paper shows that gobindabhog cultivation is a profitable and has potential business opportunities in the study area. There is an immense need of facilitators (NGOs and other agencies) to increase productivity, improve the quality production system and marketing through cooperative society for efficient marketing. Also encouraging the participation of corporate traders in marketing of this scented rice could be a boon for the growers to fetch better price.