The studies in agricultural marketing have touched various problems related to marketing system, cost-benefit, cash flow and risk. The risk in Indian agriculture is associated with both physiographic and socio-economic environment. The present study focuses on the analysis of risk in marketing of agricultural products. The study attempts to understand the association with fluctuations in daily prices of agricultural goods. The paper also attempts to quantify market risk for different crops applying the technique of variance.
The study observes that market risk differs from crop to crop. The market risk for food grains is lower than that of vegetable. The major cereals and pulses grown in the Maharashtra (India) show high-risk e. g. jowar (24.1%), rice (21.2%), Pulses including gram (20.1%) and hoolga (20.9%). The crops like bajra (16.2%), maize (19.3%), mug (14.9%), matki (7.6%%) have the advantage of low risk in the market. Vegetables like onion (81.12%), green peas (53.03%), tomato (58.77%), fenugreek (48.03%) etc. have high risk. These crops account major part of NSA in the state, Maharashtra. Due to necessity of irrigation for these vegetables is mainly grown in the irrigated tracks. Such crops threaten agronomy of Maharashtra because of high risk in marketing. It is suggested that the farmers can try to design the cropping pattern for low risk and economical stability by adopting the crops with low risk in marketing.