author(s)
SS Ghadage, AB Botare, RD Pandit, MS Jadhav and BJ Deshmukh

abstract
The current research was conducted to analyze the marketing cost, marketing margin, and price spread associated with pomegranate cultivation in the Solapur district of Maharashtra. The study was carried out across twelve villages, evenly split between two tehsils—Pandharpur and Sangola. Several marketing channels were identified, each distinguished by its structure and the roles of intermediaries involved. In the first marketing channel (Channel-I), the supply chain follows the sequence: Producer → Retailer → Consumer. Channel-II includes an additional intermediary and follows the route: Producer → Pre-harvest Contractor → Wholesaler → Retailer → Consumer. Channel-III simplifies this by eliminating the contractor, progressing as: Producer → Wholesaler → Retailer → Consumer. Meanwhile, Channel-IV introduces cooperative involvement, and moves as: Producer → Cooperative Marketing Society → Wholesaler → Retailer → Consumer. The marketing costs incurred per tonne of pomegranate varied across these channels. Channel-I recorded the lowest cost at ₹4,185 per tonne. Channel-II involved higher costs at ₹10,910, followed by Channel-III at ₹11,085. Channel-IV incurred the highest marketing cost, amounting to ₹12,270 per tonne. Among the various components of marketing expenses, commission fees and transportation charges were identified as the major contributors to the total marketing cost.