Marketing of Agricultural Perishable Products Using Mobile Phones for Improving Rural Income: A Case Study on Shyampur Area of Howrah District of India

Abstract

This paper has tried to assess the impact of mobile phones and mobile-enabled services on marketing of perishable agricultural products. The results from this study suggest that the introduction of mobile-enabled agriculture information services have a higher impact in areas which are poorer and are remote from markets. One of the crucial findings in this study is that mobile phones are increasingly accessible to lower-income groups in rural areas. From the study, it was found that farmers were more excited about using the phone to access information on agriculture, and marketing. These results suggest that mobile phones can play a significant role in resolving market constraints and improve income of the rural farmers in Shyampur of India.

Keywords: Mobile phones, agriculture, marketing, farmers, India.