Moderating Factors in Growth of Processed Fruits and Vegetables: An Empirical Study

The paper attempts to find out factors that moderate growth of processed vegetables and fruits in select districts of Western Maharashtra. Primary data was collected from marketers of processed fruits and vegetables, consumers, and experts-nutritionists, academicians. The study uses Chi-square test and Paired sample t test for hypothesis testing. Two types of moderators have been identified namely consumer prejudice and the procurement side moderators. Consumer prejudices include existence of preservatives, un-suitable to cooking style and adulteration, difficult to store, lack of variety, difficulty in availability, unhygienic, lack of value for money, limited shelf life and lack of awareness about the processed fruits and vegetables. Procurement side factors include price fluctuations, lack of quality and standardization, lack of storage, irregular supplies and scattered suppliers.