Authors: Associate Professor Dr. S.Sureshbabu, Research Scholar Mr. A.kannan
Abstract: This study examines farmers' perceptions of marketing functions and services rendered by Cooperative Marketing Societies (CMS) through comprehensive exploratory factor analysis of data from 620 farm-members. Principal Components Analysis with Varimax rotation identifies five distinct dimensions of CMS marketing functions: Market Operations and Transaction Efficiency, Pricing and Bargaining Effectiveness, Market Access and Infrastructure Support, Post-Harvest and Quality Support Services, and Information and Financial Support Services. The findings reveal that farmers rate infrastructure support (mean = 4.30) and storage facilities (mean = 4.23) most favorably, while expressing moderate satisfaction with pricing transparency (mean = 2.69) and income impact (mean = 3.28). Cluster analysis segments farmers into three groups: 62.4% highly satisfied, 23.2% moderately satisfied, and 14.4% less satisfied with CMS functions. The five-factor model explains 64.183% of cumulative variance, establishing a robust framework for understanding CMS service quality and performance. The study provides evidence-based insights for strengthening cooperative marketing functions and designing targeted interventions to enhance farmer satisfaction across service dimensions.
