This document discusses the importance of marketing information systems and market intelligence for the agricultural sector. It provides definitions of key terms like market information, market intelligence, and market news. An effective marketing information system is essential to help farmers and traders make informed decisions about production, harvesting, and sales. It should comprehensively and accurately collect, analyze, and disseminate timely data on prices, arrivals, and market conditions.

1. Marketing Information System
FOR
EFFICIENT AGRICULTURAL
MARKETING

2. An important marketing function which ensures the
smooth and efficient operation of the marketing
system.
Accurate, adequate and timely availability of market
information facilitates decision about when and where to
market the products.
It is essential at all stages of marketing, from the sale of
the produce at the farm until the goods reach the last
consumer.
At present AGMARKNET is the largest network in India to
provide real time information by connecting major
regulated markets across the country.
Market Information

3. Importance
• Farmer/Producers: Helps in improving the decision making
power of the farmer
• Market middlemen
• General economy
• Government
Market information and intelligence are crucial to
enable farmers and traders to make informed
decisions about
what to grow,
when to harvest,
to which markets produce should be sent,
and whether to store it or not.

4. Market Intelligence:
• includes information relating to such facts as the prices (price
intelligence) that prevailed in the past and market arrivals over time.
• An analysis of the past helps us to take decision about the future.
• It helps in building outlook for current and future decisions.
Market News:
• refers to current information about prices, arrivals and changes in
market conditions.
• Helps the farmers in taking decisions about when and where to sell
his produce.
• Its availability in time and with speed is of utmost value.
• It quickly becomes obsolete and requires frequent updating.
Market outlook:
refers to the market situation that is likely to prevail in the near
future.
Types of Market Information

5. Criteria for good Market Information
• Comprehensive
Must be complete and cover all the agricultural
Commodities.
• Accuracy
• Relevance
• Trustworthiness
Agency that collects it must create faith, and the users
must trust the organisation/agency.
• Equal and Easy accessibility
• Timeliness

6. Collection and Dissemination of Market Information
• Collection of market information:
• Dissemination of market information:
Personal contacts
Post and telephones
Newspapers
Magazines (E&P Weekly, Business Today)
Government agencies reports
Price bulletins
• Bulletin of Agril. Prices (Weekly),
• Agril. Situation in India (monthly),
• Agril. Prices in India (Annual)
• Bulletin on Food Statistics (Annual)
Radio and television
• Interpretation of Market Information

7. Marketing Intelligence System
(MIS)
Consists of people, equipment, and
procedures to gather, sort, analyze,
evaluate and distribute timely and accurate
information to decision makers.

8. Components of Intelligence System
• Customer Intelligence: This provides useful
information on a customer’s business, preferences
or loyalties, personal demographic details.
• Competition Intelligence: This gives information on
strengths and weaknesses of each competitor in
the territory, the strategy and the tactics being used
by them.

9. Purposes of Marketing Intelligence
• Customer satisfaction
• Creative and effective marketing strategy
• Realities of the company and its competitors
– Strengths and weaknesses
• Realities of the marketplace
– Opportunities and threats
• Competitive advantage
• Anticipate the competitive move and develop
competitive strategies

10. Sources of Marketing Intelligence
• Company’s own personnel
– Executives
– Consultants and specialists
– Purchasing agents
– Salespersons
– Other employees
Issue:
 Always busy people
 Fail to pass on important information

11. Sources of Marketing Intelligence
Company’s supply chain
Suppliers
Business partners
Business allies
Other marketing intermediaries

12. Competitors
Annual reports
Speeches and press releases
Products and labels
Advertisements and other marketing
communications
Web sites
Sources of Marketing Intelligence

13. Sources of Marketing Intelligence
• Government sources
– Census of population
– Census of industries
– Other government agencies and publications
• Academic sources
– Theses and research reports
– Academic journals
– Academic forum

14. Analyzing Marketing Intelligence Data
Competitor analysis -- knowing about competitors
1. Who are our
competitors?
2. What are
their strategies?
3. What are
their objectives?
4. What are their
strengths and weaknesses?
5. What are their
reaction patterns?

15. Marketing Intelligence Scheme in India
• It provides for the collection of data on prices, arrivals,
dispatches and stocks of important agricultural commodities.
• These data are reported by market intelligence inspectors,
market reporters, agriculture assistants, price inspectors,
statistical investigators, marketing inspectors etc.
• The scheme covered 137 agricultural commodities and 1300
markets of the country.
• Market intelligence centres set up under the scheme work
under the supervision of Directorate of Agricultural Marketing
or Directorate of Economics and Statistics of the states.
• The importance of flow of market information has
considerably increased in recent years particularly in case of
fruits & Vegetables.

16. Market Information vs Market Intelligence
• Market Intelligence is a process of giving you insights into
what might happen in the near future.
• This process requires that we go from market data to
information and then to market intelligence. For example
• Data – Arrivals and Prices of fruits and vegetables in Narwal
mandi.
• Information – Month wise arrivals and prices of
commodities for 20 years
• Intelligence – Forecasting the arrivals and prices of the
commodities on the basis of available data for next say 5
years or 10 years.

17. The Ideal Agricultural Marketing Information System (AMIS)
should be Responsible for
• sourcing all the market data/information being collected by
various agencies;
• processing and analyzing such data/information to turn it
into useable knowledge; and
• developing mechanisms/systems for information/
knowledge dissemination through various media such as
radio, TV, newsletters, bulletins, and websites.

18. Factors responsible for poor market
intelligence
i) Limited availability of market intelligence.
ii) Poor access to relevant market information.
iii) Limited dissemination of existing information to farmers
and entrepreneurs.
iv) Lack of price forecasting system.
v) Limited capacity to understand and use market
intelligence.