A study of marketing information and communication for fresh vegetable in Thailand

This study is dealt with the marketing information in role and provision in marketing information service. Including, identify marketing information needs for fresh vegetable market which brings about development of fresh vegetable marketing information and communication in Thailand. The results were as follows. 1) The role of marketing information for vegetables in Thailand was designed to: (1) provide local producers and traders information on wholesale and retail prices of vegetable on a regular basis; (2) provide producers information on annual price trends of farm commodities for better production scheduling; (3) assist producers in deciding where, when, how much, to whom and in what price to sell their current produce in order to lessen marketing risk; (4) improve the bargaining position of producers; and (5) help institutional buyer keep updated prices as bases for their procurements. 2) Vegetable marketing information is provided by Department of Internal Trade and Office of Agricultural Economics. They collects weekly and monthly data which are farm gate price and average market price and distributes them to market members. They will then provide price information to producers, traders, and consumers as a major service item. Reports are issued on a daily, weekly, monthly, and annual basis. The marketing information flash through the communication techniques by extension workers from Agricultural Extension Office, and main public media releases such as radio, television, and newspaper, as well as through government printed reports. 3) The marketing information needs of various stakeholders consist of: (1) information on markets according to season and area; (2) quality demands, efficient production, storage, processing methods; (3) prices along the chain; (4) lists of buyers; (5) market regulations and policies; (6) meetings and workshops; (7) size and location of sources of raw materials.