Rice Price Volatility Across Interstate Markets

How rice farmers navigate the realities of market volatility to secure returns.

Project Introduction

This study is designed to examine how rice farmers engage with markets under conditions of inter-state price volatility. The survey is being carried out in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, capturing farmer perspectives on production, pricing, and sales channels, and documenting the realities of rice marketing — including where farmers sell, the challenges they face, and the strategies they adopt to secure better returns on their produce.

Partners

Researchers

Project Methodology

The study is being implemented within a short time frame, requiring careful coordination of field teams and strict adherence to protocols. With a small, trained team of enumerators, the research balances depth and feasibility to ensure the resulting data provides a reliable picture of market linkages across the two states. The structured questionnaire covers a large random sample of rice farming households, capturing demographics, landholding, production, the prices farmers receive, transport and storage access, their financial system, and the challenges they have faced in marketing their produce.

Impact

The study will generate evidence on farmers’ access to and use of market linkages, highlighting the opportunities and bottlenecks in rice marketing. The insights will shed light on how price volatility affects farmer livelihoods and market behaviour, supporting policy dialogue on reforms to improve price stability and strengthen farmer-market connections. As this project is currently underway, further documentation will be published as it becomes available.

Documentation

This project is currently in progress, and will be updated with findings as results arise.

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