Marketing Channels and Marketing Efficiency of Castor Oil in Gujarat State

The research study conducted to estimate the price spread, marketing margin and marketing cost of castor oil in the Gujarat state. Purposive sampling technique was adopted as per the objective of study and total 17 functioning castor oil extractor units were selected for the study purpose. Data were gathered through personal interviews with a castor oil producer and marketing intermediaries belonging to various marketing channels, using a structured questionnaire. Two main marketing channels were identified: Producer-consumer (Channel I), Producer-trader-consumer (Channel II). A significant proportion of castor oil was marketed through Channel I, which exhibited the highest marketing efficiency. This efficiency was primarily due to the absence of market intermediaries, enabling consumers to purchase or receive castor oil directly from producers.