This 9-page chapter reports that modern markets demand higher standards for produce than traditional wholesale markets in Pakistan can meet. Facilities for transport and cold storage are often poor, for example. Market information is also restricted. Smallholders who are physically isolated urgently need better access via the phone network in order to respond to what consumers are willing to pay. Governments play an important role in terms of the legal, physical and regulatory environment in which the markets operate. This includes price regulation, designed to help consumers, but often rendering small farm enterprises unprofitable.
Some market reforms are in train and a separate study (Horticulture Policy) has investigated this further.
