Farm to Market: Understanding the Marketing Behaviour of Onion Growers in Chitradurga District, India

Onion (Allium cepa L.), popularly known as the “queen of the kitchen,” is both a staple vegetable and a vital commercial crop in India. Beyond its culinary importance, it plays a pivotal role in generating farm income, creating employment opportunities, and contributing to exports. Karnataka is the country’s leading onion-producing states; however, productivity frequently lags behind potential levels, resulting in notable yield gaps. Against this backdrop, the current study was conducted in the Chitradurga district in 2023 to examine the marketing behaviour of onion growers because there is limited research on how yield gaps and marketing behaviour interact at the district level. A sample of 120 farmers, comprising 60 small and 60 big growers was randomly selected from Challakere and Hiriyur taluks. An ex post facto research design was adopted, and data were gathered through a pre-tested structured interview schedule. The results showed that the persistence of yield gaps was primarily linked to limited adoption of scientific practices and constraints in resource management. With respect to price information, most farmers (60.84%) depended on relatives, neighbours, and middlemen, while only a smaller proportion relied on mobile phones (12.50%), newspapers (7.50%), or government agencies (5.00%). APMC markets were the dominant sales outlet, attracting 81.66% of growers, compared with local markets (11.67%) and retailers (6.67%). More than three-fourths of the onion growers (76.67%) sold their produce right after harvest because of financial limitations, while only 23.33% could afford to store their crop for better prices. Transport of produce was largely undertaken through goods vehicles (47.50%) and trucks (35.84%), and nearly all respondents (96.66%) graded their onions by size and shape to secure higher returns. The study concludes that farmers’ marketing choices are strongly shaped by socio-economic conditions, immediate cash needs, and infrastructural limitations. Strengthening storage facilities, improving access to timely and reliable market information, and encouraging collective marketing strategies can help decreases yield gaps and enhance profitability for onion growers in Chitradurga district and the main policy implication is to establish farmer-centric storage, market information and collective marketing systems to reduce distress sales and improve farmers’ income.