M.B.A. (Part II) (Semester IV) (New-CBCS) Examination, 2017
Gr.F AGRICULTURE BUSINESS MANAGEMENT (Paper IV)
Agro-Processing Industries and Rural Industrialization
Day and Date Thursday, 25-5-2017 Total Marks 70
Time 10.30 a.m. to 1.00 p.m.
Instructions Question No. 1 is compulsory.
Attempt any two questions from Q.No. Q. No. 3 and
Q. No. 4.
Attempt any two questions from Q. Q. No. 6 and Q. No.7.
Figures to the right indicate full marks.
1. Case Study.
Fruit and vegetable drying
Fruits and vegetables play an important role in providing the body with essential
vitamins and minerals which when deficient, can cause malnutrition (Utete and
Tembo, 1996). In the samallholder sector of Zimbabwe, fresh vegetables are
available in large quantities in the dry season while fruits are abundant in the wet
season. When production exceeds the family consumption needs and demand
levels of the local markets, producers face huge problems in trying to access
urban markets. These include lack of market information and marketing
intelligence, high perishability of horticultural commodities and lack of refrigerated
transport services and poor road networks. More often than not, high value produce
is put to waste.
A wide variety of vegetables and fruits are processed into dried products and the
majority of vegetables processed are indigenous varieties. Preservation relies
on the removal of moisture by drying. An acid dip sulphur dioxide may also be
used to reduce the number of contaminating micro-organisms (Fellows, 1997)
but this is not commonly practiced in Zimbabwe. Dried products are obtained
from apple, mango, guava, banana, paw-paw, tomatoes, onions, cabbages, rape,

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covo, cowpea leaves, pumpkin leaves, mustard leaves and okra. It is more
common to find dried vegetables rather than fruits on the vendors market. For a
significant number of processors, processing is a traditional activity adopted to
enhance household food security during the agricultural off-season when access
to fresh produce is limited. Some surplus may be sold locally to generate income.
The few enterprises that produce the dried products at medium-scale, sell their
products in the up-market shops and local tourist resort areas. The Murewa
Food Processors' Association is one of the few enterprises which exports small
volumes of dried fruits, but it does not have firm contracts in export markets.
Most of the existing fruit and vegetable processors are informal in nature and
range in size from small to medium. They are normally referred to as cottage
industries as they operate from residential homes. Drying of fruits is still a novel
idea among both processors and local consumers. However, there is evident
increase in the supply of processed fruits and vegetables as various such
commodities are now available in the up-market shops in towns and tourist resort
areas but in better quality.
Analyze the case. 5
Identify the problem. 2
Highlight the challenges. 5
Best Solution. 2
2. Write short notes on (any two) 14
Urban Co-operative Banks.
Employee Credit Societies.
Need and objectives of rural credit.
3. Write short notes on (any two) 14
Role of RBI in agricultural credit.
Industrial Cooperative Management.
AOA.
4. Write short notes on (any two) 14
Explain importance of Agro Processing Co-operatives.
Fluctuations in agricultural prices.
Diary Cooperatives.
5. Explain in short Khadi and Village Industry Corporation. Also explain promotional
measures of KVIC. 14
6. What are cottage and small scale industries Explain role and problems of SSI. 14
7. What is rural industrialization Explain the role of agriculture in rural
industrialization. 14