An economic analysis of marketing channels for Zardalu mango in Bhagalpur District, Bihar

The study examines the existing marketing channels utilized for Zardalu mangos in the Bhagalpur district of Bihar, renowned for its high-quality mango variety with GI tags. We used a systematic interview schedule to get primary data from 60 sample producers in the Sabour and Sultanganj blocks. We also looked at secondary sources. We used channel mapping and percentage analysis to find and record the marketing paths. The four main pathways that were found were: Channel I: Producer → Consumer, Channel II: Producer → Retailer → Consumer, Channel III: Producer → Wholesaler → Retailer → Consumer, Channel IV: Producer → Village Trader → Wholesaler → Retailer → Consumer) was the most popular, with 38.3% of the votes. Channel I (Producer → Consumer) came in second, with 36.7%. Farmers preferred shorter routes because they got their money faster, fewer middlemen were involved, and they got better prices. Still, the fact that there are long, multi-tier channels for bulk sales shows that structured marketplaces are hard to get to. The study also found that the choice of marketing channel was affected by things like the amount of production, how easy it was to get to far-off markets, the state of transportation infrastructure, and the need for middlemen. Farmers took part in longer chains because they had to provide in bulk and had less power to negotiate. Shorter routes, on the other hand, meant bigger producer shares and lower marketing costs. The Zardalu mango's GI-tagged status offers significant opportunities for branding, export promotion, and premium pricing; however, commercialization potential is constrained by the lack of farmer collectives, inadequate market infrastructure, and insufficient digital marketing platforms.