Marketing pattern of tribal livestock farmers of Kerala

Attappady is the major tribal settlement area of Kerala. A study was conducted to analyse the marketing structure of tribal livestock farmers of the area. A survey conducted among 106 tribal farmers using a well prepared questionnaire and interview schedule. The livestock production system of Attappady was found to be a zero input system depending entirely on grazing and locally available feed resources. The major marketable items were milk, meat animals and manure. Tribes were not much concerned about the existing marketing facilities. Only a quarter of the farmers sold milk to the cooperative societies. Majority of them received a price of 14 to 15.9 rupees per litre of milk. Sale of dung was a major income source for tribes. Animals for meat purpose were collected by middle men from the farmers at very low price and were transported to the low lands. At cattle market also, the intervention from middle men denied fair price to the ethnic farmers. Extending the work area of cooperatives to the interior regions and adoption of collective marketing strategies were suggested for the improvement of marketing system. Majority of the farmers used their livestock for ploughing in addition to milk and meat purposes.