PRODUCTION AND MARKETING CONSTRAINTS OF BANANA GROWERS IN KANNIYAKUMARI DISTRICT OF TAMIL NADU, INDIA

Banana (musa sp.) holds a prominent place as an economically significant fruit crop in Tamil Nadu, offering a rich source of calories, as well as vitamins A and C, contributing to essential nutrition.India ranks first both in terms of area, spanning across 959 hectares, and production, totaling 35,131 MT.Tamil Nadu is the fourth largest banana producer in the country.In Tamil Nadu, the cultivation of bananas occupies a substantial area, amounting to approximately 1.01 lakh hectares, and yields an impressive production of around 39.39 lakh metric tons of bananas during the year of 2021-22.Objectives of the study, 1.To identify the problems faced by the production of banana cultivators.2. To identify the problems faced by the marketing intermediaries.Garrett ranking technique was used to analyze constraints faced by farmers and market intermediaries in the study area.The study was concluded the price fluctuation was the major constraint faced by both the banana growers and the intermediaries of the market.