Abstract
A great deal of research has been conducted concerning the local agriculture in areas of India. There is however, a lack of research dealing with the transportation of agricultural products on a national scale. The aim of this paper is to describe and explain fruit and vegetable transportation based on data derived from the Market Information Bulletin and the arrival register of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (A. M. P. C.) in Azadpur, Delhi. The Azadpur market, known as Subji Mandi or Fruit and Vegetable Market, is considered the biggest market in India and is located in a northern suburb of Delhi. While the Azadpur market receives a wide variety of produce, this paper focuses on ten main agricultural products for analysis : apples, oranges, bananas, mangoes, grapes, potatoes, onions, peas, tomatoes and cauliflower. The results showed that transportation for produce exists on a national scale in India despite the widely believed concept that most fruit and vegetable are locally sold and consumed. This is due to a number of factors ; the heavy demand and consumption in Delhi, the growth of trucking and the spread and development of cold storage facilities. Of particular interest is the fact that Delhi's demand has acted and will continue to act as a catalyst for change in the national transportation network for fruit and vegetable in India. This paper also discusses the various patterns of produce transportation based on the differences in the items studied. From the state arrival registers it could be seen that the share of vegetables per state is relatively even, whereas in terms of fruits, one state has the major share. Perishability and price will influence the location of the production in relation to Delhi. The rise in amounts of produce shipped in preharvest months also shows seasonal patterns. The long distance transport of bananas from Maharashutra seems to depend on the improvement of the railway. Through this study some of the patterns and development of fruit and vegetable transportation on a national scale were identified.
