Comparison of Farmers’ Markets and District Markets in Terms of Marketing Efficiency: The Case of Seferihisar District in Izmir Province

Abstract

Marketing is a process that begins before the production of goods and continues even after the sale has been made. That is why it is essential to market effectively and accurately. Besides, many problems occur sourced from production and marketing. The most important one of these problems is that the marketing system is controlled by intermediaries. Excessive intermediaries lead to product losses and costs. While farmers sell the goods at low prices, the excess marketing channels cause product prices to increase until it reaches consumers. In this context, as determining the marketing efficiency of farmers, it is aimed to offer solutions to these problems. The research area of this study is the farmers' market in Seferihisar district of Izmir province in Turkey. It was interviewed face-to-face with 75 agricultural farmers in the research area. According to the obtained study results, in the farmers' market, the product with the highest marketing efficiency index (MEI) was fresh onion (40.6). In district markets, the product with the highest MEI was found as leek with 5.80. The study also showed that as farm size increased, farmers had a higher MEI.