The webinar will be held on February 20, 2025 (Thursday) at 11 am Bangladesh Time (10:30 am in India). The Honorable Speaker is Mr. Sachin Hegdekudgi, Chief Executive Officer, Founder and Director, RootsGoods Private Limited, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560092, India. Please click on the link below to attend the webinar Topic: webinar on ‘Artificial Intelligence in Improving Farmer’s Livelihood’ Time: Feb 20, 2025 11:00 AM Astana, Dhaka Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/97448123767?pwd=QU6w9mOXbLV6i3CjztGLPKtUPU97CG.1 Meeting ID: 974 4812 3767 Passcode: 309995 _____ Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/aejP77i60

CIRDAP was honored to welcome Dr. Ravi Khetarpal, Executive Secretary of the Asia Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI), to CIRDAP headquarters today, February 10, 2025. After an insightful meeting with the Director General of CIRDAP HE Dr.P.Chandra Shekara,Dr. Khetarpal toured the CIRDAP office complex, including the CIRDAP International Conference Centre (CICC) and auditorium. He also took part in the ongoing World Rural Development Day (WRDD) signature campaign, showing his strong support for this important initiative. CIRDAP staff had the opportunity to engage in a productive discussion with Dr. Khetarpal, exploring shared objectives and potential collaborations between CIRDAP and APAARI. The visit concluded with a seedling planting segment, symbolizing our commitment to sustainable development.

CIRDAP is going to organize its next webinar titled ‘why do Organized and Unorganized Marketing Channels Co-exist? A Case of Milk Marketing in Nepal’ on February 12, 2025. The honorable speaker is Binoy Goswami, PhD Associate Professor, Faculty of Economics, South Asian University, Maidan Garhi, and New Delhi, India. Abstract Marketing channels ensure that agricultural produces reach their target consumers, fetch fair prices, and contribute to the overall profitability of farming enterprises. Particularly for perishable goods like fruits, vegetables, milk, and so on, marketing channels are essential. This paper examinesthe dynamics of milk marketing channels in Nepal through a case study of 103 milk-producing farmers in Lalitpur district. The findings reveal that larger milk producers predominantly prefer organized marketing channels, such as milk collection centers operated by cooperatives or the private sector, whereas smaller producers utilize both organized and unorganized channels, including direct sales to households and businesses. An analysis of the factors influencing the choice of marketing channel highlights that pecuniary transaction costs are minimal for producers. However, unorganized channels involve significant non-pecuniary transaction costs such as, challenges in transporting milk to points of sale and handling fluctuations in milk production. On the other hand, fat-based pricing system in the organized channels discourages farmers from choosing these channels. Both exploratory and regression analyses validate these results. The study explains the coexistence of organized and unorganized channels in terms of the distinct advantages that each type of channel offers. Furthermore, it identifies several socio-economic factors that shape producers’ choices of marketing channels. The paper contributes to theunderstanding of the dynamics of milk marketing, and provides valuable implications for policy and practice in Nepal’s dairy sector. To attend the webinar, click here for the zoom link:https://zoom.us/j/95124674993?pwd=GlmaMO7gMgJpQpIAWbihvsbOD87Sjh.1Meeting ID: 951 2467 4993Passcode: 656793