Year: 2022 | Month: February | Volume 67 | Issue 1s
Value Chain Analysis of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)in Lalitpur, Nepal
Sagar Koirala
Shiv Chandra Dhakal
Kalyani Shrestha
Sadikshya Khanal
Sandesh Thapa
DOI:10.46852/0424-2513.1.2022.10
Abstract:
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is a leading vegetable crop with good market potentiality in Nepal. The knowledge of commodity flow and actors play a pivotal role to identify the gaps for improving competitiveness. A study was carried out to assess the contemporary status of the value chain for tomatoes in Lalitpur, Nepal in 2020. A total of 60 households were sampled from two rural municipalities, viz. Konjyosom and Bagmati and a municipality: the Godavari, were selected by using proportionate stratified random sampling technique; they were interviewed with a pre-tested, semi-structured interview schedule. 10 traders (wholesalers, retailers) were selected to study the marketing aspect. Secondary data was collected from peer-reviewed journals, websites, organization publications, AKC, and PMAMP profiles. Tomato producers, traders, and extension agents were the source for primary data. Descriptive statistics and chi-square test was used for data analysis using SPSS and MS-Excel software. Findings showed that all the three study sites bear a high potential for good profits through tomato production. The B:C ratio of 1.61 was found in the study area highlights that tomato cultivation is a profitable enterprise for the farmers as well as the traders. The market margin was NRs.32/kg and the producer’s share is 46.6% percent in the most used market channel. Middlemen had a major influence on the pricing of tomatoes. The low market price was a major marketing problem faced by the producers followed by market unavailability, price fluctuation, perishable nature, lack of transportation. Despite these problems, farmers interested to grow tomatoes and were satisfied with the production. The study found out that tomato farming could be a highly profitable enterprise in Lalitpur if special support is provided from agriculture offices. Thus, from the study, it is recommended to improve transport facility, market price information, packaging, storage, grading, to fetch a higher price of tomatoes, that would benefit all actors in the value chain
Highlights
- Technological advancement seemed to support the production of tomatoes within the study area.
- Advanced value chain activities had not yet been practiced due to lack of awareness regarding the importance of product diversification and unavailability of the food-processing industry
- Higher profits could be attained with the improvement of production technology, management of marketing system, and extension of linkage between service receiver and producers
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