Wholesale fruit and vegetable market

This study was undertaken to obtain basic data helpful in planning for an efficient and adequate wholesale market for the Knoxville region. To be efficient a market should perform its services at least cost consistent with maximum usefulness. Over investment, by overbuilding, adds unnecessary costs, which are chargeable to the products marketing in this area.

The immediate purpose of the market is to provide for the sale and purchase of fruit and vegetable products. Markets should be thought of in terms of buyers. Obtaining buyers is one of the main problems of a market. In turn, this problem is directly related to the convenience of the market, and to quality and quantity of the products offered.

It should also be realized that a market can do little toward enlarging its buying territory without, at the same time, making competition from other producing regions more effective on local farmers. In the long run, too, farmers will have to adjust their programs to regional competition, even though artificial barriers may be attempted against out-of-state produce on the local market.