Agricultural marketing

Andhra Pradesh State Agricultural Cooperative Marketing 
Federation(APMARKFED ) 
ORGANISATION: 
A.P. Markfed (Andhra Pradesh State Co-operative Marketing Federation Ltd ) was 
established in the year 1957 with head-quarters at Hyderabad. It is a federation of 
Marketing Co-operative Societies in A.P.
Main Objective : 
The main objective is of helping the farmers to secure better price for their produce by 
taking care of their market needs and providing agricultural inputs. Against this objective 
the Markfed's present activity consists of sale of farm inputs like chemical fertilizers, 
pesticides & seeds, maintenance of godowns & procurement of Agricultural commodities 
through its member societies. 
MEMBER ORGANISATIONS: 
The total membership of the organisation at present is 1475. The break up of the 
membership is as follows: 
Member Organisations  
No's 
District Co-operative Marketing Societies 
22 
Primary Agricultural Co-operative Societies 1451 
Andhra Pradesh Co-operative bank 
1 
Government of Andhra Pradesh 
1 
Total 
1475 
District Co-operative Marketing Societies and Primary Agricultural Co-operative 
Societies help in the supply of inputs to the farmers and marketing the commodities 

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produced by the farmers. 
The Andhra Pradesh Co-operative bank help in financ ing the activities of the District Co-
operative Marketing Societies and Primary Agricultural Co-operative Societies. 
What is a State trading enterprise?
State trading is a common feature of many economies where agriculture is an important 
sector of trade. Thus, State trading enterprises are found in developed countries with 
significant agricultural trading interests, as well as in agriculturally-based developing 
countries. The heavy emphasis on agriculture in State trading activities would seem to 
indicate governments' belief that State trading is an appropriate means of implementing 
agriculture-related policy objectives, such as providing price support for important 
agricultural products or ensuring food security. In the area of industrial goods, State 
trading may arise as a by-product of the nationalization of an ailing industry or as a 
means of pursuing government policies on products or industries considered to have 
strategic importance. 
Objectives: 
The objectives of state trading are: 
i) To make available supplies of essential commodities to consumers at reasonable 
prices on a regular basis; 
ii) To ensure a fair price of the produce to the farmers so that there may be an 
adequate incentive to increase production; 
iii) To minimize violent price fluctuations occurring as a result of seasonal variations 
in supply and demand; 
iv) To arrange for the supply of such inputs as fertilizers and insecticides so that the 
tempo of increased production is maintained; 
v) To undertake the procurement and maintenance of buffer stock, and their 
distribution, whenever and wherever necessary; 
vi) To arrange for storage, transportation, packing and processing; 
vii) To conduct surveys and provide the required statistics to the government so that it 
may improve the conditions of the farmers; and 
viii)
To check hoarding, black marketing and profiteering.