Issues and Challenges of the Weekly Market in Maharashtra: A Special Reference to KaradTaluka of Satara District

Weekly market is not only place for available goods to the villagers but also providing sell opportunity for local produce and minor forest product in rural area. People who live in rural area not possible to go to town or city for shopping for basic requirement likes-daily needs etc. In Study area, Major portion of the population depends on agriculture and milk products. Nearest surrounding all villagers visit to the weekly market to purchase. They sell those surplus produce in near weekly market. Weekly markets play important role in rural areas providing employment and income generation process. But it is observed that rural weekly markets in Karad taluka have been facing many issues and challenges due to the number of factors that affect the smooth transactions in the market and its growth. The purpose of this paper to identify some of the issues in the weekly market that seller and buyers are facing through the personal visit and interviews with the sellers and buyers, it was found that the weekly markets in many places lack even basic facilities to run the market. e.g., compound wall, market shed, toilet, hospital, dustbins, security control system etc. During the interview it was found that the local authority of the markets needs to develop the basic facilities of the market for smooth transactions and growth of village economy. In this paper has focused on infrastructure of the weekly market places.