Marketing Channels of Chia and their Efficiency

Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) is gaining prominence as a superfood and medicinal plant within the Lamiaceae family, celebrated for its pseudocereal status and nutritional benefits worldwide. Introduced to India by the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) in Mysuru, it has swiftly spread across the country, including Karnataka’s Kalyan-Karnataka region, owing to its rich nutritional profile and medicinal properties. The present study was to study the efficiency of marketing channels of chia, focusing on Bidar and Kalaburagi districts, which are pivotal due to their significant chia cultivation areas. Primary data was gathered through surveys of 30 sample farmers from each district during the 2023-24 period and total 15 marketing middlemen were chosen from each district. Thus, the total sample size was 90. The study showed that the Channel-I is more cost-effective for chia growers, making it the preferred option despite its relatively higher transportation costs in study area. The study revealed that the extent of producer’s share in consumer rupee in Bidar district was 87.42 and 83.50 per cent in Channel-I and channel-II respectively. Similarly, in Kalaburagi district extent of producer’s share in consumer rupee was 87.56 and 85.85 per cent in Channel-I and channel-II respectively.