Marketing Channel Efficiency of Almond Products: Evidence from Samangan and Balkh-Afghanistan

The objectives of this study are to determine the most efficient marketing channels for almond producers. The marketing of almond products plays a significant role for small–scale farmers that provide income and towards sustainable rural livelihoods. The sample size of the producers included 125 farmers who were taken by the stratified sampling method. In addition, 15 contractors/middlemen, 12 retailers, 8 wholesalers, 8 support service providers, and 7 exporters have been surveyed, and the total number of participants reached 175 respondents. Descriptive statistics, marketing efficiency analysis methods were used to analyses data of this research. According to the results of Acharya and Aggarwal methods, the marketing efficiency analysis, the marketing channels were ranked according to their efficiency levels, which were found 11.17 for Channel 2 (wholesalers), 6.53 for Channel 1 (middlemen or agents), 3.36 for Channel 4 (exporters) and 1.88 for Channel 3 (retailers). Afghanistan almonds are large potential for the development and efficiency of almonds marketing in the study area as almond production is one of the major cash products in the Samangan and Balkh that has positively increased the welfare of the producers and intermediaries.