Analysis of Mango Marketing Channels in Siraha, Nepal

The Siraha district of Nepal experiences surplus mango production during the season that ends up being wasted or sold at throw-away prices due to imperfect marketing. Thus, this survey research was conducted to investigate the market channels of mango, post-harvest mechanisms, constraints, marketing margins, market shares, consumer purchasing behaviors, and patterns of purchasing in Siraha.The research survey was done with thirty producers, five wholesalers, thirty-two retailers, and twenty-five consumers within the Golbazaar and Dhangadimai municipalities through a semi-structured questionnaire. Mango trading was dominated by males. It was revealed that the market demand for mango in Siraha was produced in Siraha itself(91.49%). The wholesalers supplied 30.66% of their mango to retailers, and 14.73% to consumers. Gulab Khas and Banaganapalli were the most imported varieties from India. Each variety of mango provided an almost equal margin, although Bombay was slightly higher than others. The market share was dominated by the Maldah variety as most of the farmers cultivated this variety.It was found that in addition to the varieties and arrival time, the distance to markets and farming practices were significant factors influencing the profitability of mango marketing. There is great potential to industrialize and substitute the Indian mango in the market through commercial production of mango, efficient storage, and post-harvest management, and in increasing the efficiency of the mango marketing system through subsidies and aids to the mango growing farmers from concerned stakeholders. A collaborative approach is required among all stakeholders for sustainable mango marketing and establishing it as an economic profession.