Farmer-centric marketing: ranking channels based on preferences in Indian agribusiness

Purpose This study systematically identifies the prominent factors that influence farmers' preference for marketing channels and ranks the prominent marketing channels. Design/methodology/approach A rigorous literature review does qualitative research to identify significant, most studied factors and quartile ranking of the publishing journals. An index is generated with these parameters to select the top factors. Expert opinion is incorporated to finalize the factors. The Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is deployed to rank the marketing channels with respect to identified factors. Findings The study finds that monetary factors such as payment and costs influence farmers' decisions the most. Payment (C6) is the most critical criterion. This finding emphasizes the vital role of a secure, timely and cost-effective payment system to improve farmers' participation in the market. The findings also highlight that farmers prefer ease and security over traditional criticisms like low-price offerings in marketing channels. Local Aggregators (AL3) is ranked as the top marketing channel due to its accessibility, easy operations, payment security, and supportive services, despite criticism of exploitative pricing practices. Research limitations/implications The study's geographical scope may limit the generalizability of the findings. Longitudinal studies can be conducted in the future to see how farmers' preferences evolve with time, crops and geography. Furthermore, Fuzzy AHP assumes consistency and overlooks the dynamic factors. Real-time market data in the future can be explored, along with other MCDM methodologies. The impact of emerging technologies on farmers' preferences can be checked in the future. Large-scale surveys can be carried out with all farmer segments to refine the findings. Originality/value By uniquely combining literature-derived criteria with expert insights and AHP for ranking marketing channels, this study presents an innovative approach to analyzing farmers' marketing channel preferences. It provides a comprehensive understanding of the subject absent in existing research. This work contributes significantly to the literature on agricultural marketing channels and offers a framework for future research in related fields.