Socio Economic Impact of Weekly Markets: An Assessment of Farmers in Garo Hills of Meghalaya
Sunildro L.S. Akoijam
Dr Sunildro L.S. Akojam, Department of Management, North-Eastern Hill University, Tura Campus, Tura, Meghalaya, India.
Manuscript received on 04 August 2019. | Revised Manuscript received on 11 August 2019. | Manuscript published on 30 September 2019. | PP: 8331-8337 | Volume-8 Issue-3 September 2019 | Retrieval Number: C6611098319/2019©BEIESP | DOI: 10.35940/ijrte.C6611.098319
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© The Authors. Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC-BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Abstract: The weekly markets in Garo Hills of Meghalaya have been a source of livelihood for thousands of farmers. These markets have also been the main source for availing all basic commodities for survival of thousands of villagers who don’t have access to the normal markets for daily essential commodities. But it is observed that farmers who are directly engaged in these weekly markets for ages are not growing economically as well as socially significantly. This paper is an attempt to understand the role of weekly markets in the lives of farmers of thousands villages who are directly engaged in the market for their source of income for livelihood. The paper analyses the socio-economic impacts of the rural weekly markets in the lives of farmers in Garo Hills of Meghalaya. Data was collected through a semi structured schedule from 35 weekly markets operating in Garo Hills. Altogether 175 farmers (5 from each market) who sell their agricultural produce directly in these markets are considered for the study. The study found out that the farmers are able to improve their economic status through it but not significant enough to save for buying extra assets. The average monthly income of the farmers and their economic status is increasing with the years in weekly market. Through the market, farmers get to interact more with others sellers as well as customers. They have become more active in market related activities helping each other in the event of problematic situation and they are receiving more moral supports from others including sellers and customers.
Keywords: Farmers, Garo Hills, livelihood, Socio-Economic Impact, Weekly Markets
Scope of the Article: Social Sciences