Abstract:
Commercial rambutan farmers in Sri Lanka are facing difficulties in selling their
products. This study aimed to identify the different types of marketing channels and
analyze factors affecting the selection of marketing channels by farmers in Gampaha
district, Sri Lanka to provide inputs to formulate marketing policies. A semi
structured questionnaire was utilized to collect data from commercial rambutan
farmers through face-to-face interviews. Two-stage sampling procedure was
employed to select the sample. In the first stage, the major rambutan-producing
Grama Niladhari Divisions were purposively selected from the Attanagalla
Divisional Secretariat, the second largest rambutan production area in Gampaha
district. Farmers were selected using snowball sampling in the second stage.
Descriptive analytical techniques were employed to identify the prominent marketing
channels and the multinomial logistic regression model was used to identify the
factors affecting the choice of marketing channels by rambutan farmers. The results
revealed that farmers predominantly sold rambutan to collectors (49%), followed by
roadside shops (17%). Direct selling to consumers or exporters by farmers was rare
in the study area. Short distance (p<0.01), high price (p<0.05), off-farm income
(p<0.1) and provision of harvesting facilities (p<0.05) were factors that contributed
to choosing roadside buyers. Low education of farmers, poor access to market
information and low prices had a statistically significant impact (p<0.1) on selecting
fair. Large-scale farmers have no option except to sell rambutan to collectors. The
study concluded that price and distance to the market are two major factors affecting
the choice of marketing channels. Policies aimed at improving farmers' access to
market information, enhancing infrastructure facilities and logistical support
encourage more farmers to diversify their marketing channels beyond traditional
options. Similarly, the global value chain should be strengthened through farmer
exporter collaboration.
