AEIJST - July 2016 - Vol 4 - Issue 7 ISSN - 2348 - 6732

The Problems and Obstracles Faced By Self Help Group in Selling Their Products A
Study With Reference To the Nilgiris District of Tamilnadu
*Dr.R.Subhashini
**Mrs.G.Sathya
*Assistant Professor, Department of Commerce, AVVM.Sri Pushpam College, Poondi,
Thanjavur district.
**Assistant Professor, Department of Commerce, Bharathiar University Arts and Science
College Gudalur, The Nilgiris - 643 212.
Abstract
The training on marketing and information technologies would determine the success of
SHGs members. Government wants to help these groups during initial period of the business
to overcome the teething problems, provides support and training ultimately to function
independently as a successful business venture. The most acute problem is the lack of time to
participate in all the activities of all the SHGs. This article highlights marketing problems
encountered by the self- help groups members - an analysis.
Keywords: Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Marketing Problems,
Introduction
Self-Help groups are called mutual help or mutual aid groups, they are composed of
peers who share a similar mental, emotional, or physical problem, or who are interested in a
focal issue, such as education or parenting. Historically people banded together to improve
their chances for survival by pooling their social and economic resources; however,
contemporary groups are more likely to organize around a theme or a problem. Both men and
women constitute the main strength of economic development of a nation, women form an
important segment of the labour force and the economic role played by them, and integrated.
The Government is, therefore, making planned efforts to inculcate the spirit of enterprising
among women through many incentives and development programmes. These efforts are
expected to widen the field with many women taking up entrepreneurship. Self Help Group is
a group of people having a common goal of socio-economic sustainable development, who
discuss their problems and resolve them through appropriate participatory decision making.
Self Help Group (SHG)
A Self-Help Group (SHG) is a registered or unregistered group of micro entrepreneurs
having homogenous social and economic back ground, voluntarily coming together to save
regular small sums of money, mutually agreeing to contribute to a common fund and to meet
their urgent needs on the basis of mutual help.
Handicraft
Handicraft holds a rich history of craftsmanship and residents of the valley have
beautifully nurtured their cultural legacy since time immemorial. The Nilgiris Handicrafts
have shared their entreasured heritage with rest of the world and is equally appreciated within
the country. Handicraft fulfilled a positive physical needs of daily requirements of people and
serve to satisfy aesthetic hunger in man and is an vehicle of self expression which revels a
conscious aesthetic approach.
Handicraft, more precisely expressed as artisanic handicraft, sometimes also called
artisanry, is a type of work where useful and decorative devices are made completely by hand
or by using only simple tools, it is a traditional main sector of craft. Usually the term is
applied to traditional means of making goods. The individual artisanship of the items, is a
paramount criterion, such items often have cultural and religious significance. Items made by
mass production or machines are not handicraft goods.

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AEIJST - July 2016 - Vol 4 - Issue 7 ISSN - 2348 - 6732

Marketing Activities by SHGs
The marketing activities of the SHGs are far below the new standards set by
globalization. They only engage in direct marketing. They market their products only locally.
They do never think of mass production and massive marketing globally and the packing of
thise finished products do not attract the mass as other manufactured products do. The SHGs
do not even engage in advertising their products, and never like to market their products to
unknown persons, and there is only for people, relatives and other SHG members. They never
try to market their products through the nearby shops.
Statement of the problem
The training on marketing and information technologies would determine the success of
SHGs members. Government wants to help these groups during initial period of the business
to overcome the teething problems and provides support and training ultimately to function
independently as a successful business venture. The most acute problem is the lack of time to
participate in all the activities of all the SHGs. This article highlights marketing problems
encountered by the Self- Help Groups members - an analysis.
Importance of the Study
In this context is equally important to note the role played by several Non
Governmental organizations and Government agencies in promoting the women Self Help
Groups, helping them in organizing awareness, training, and skill up gradation, production of
handicraft goods, provision of linkages with banks and institutions for requirements of credit
and other support services. The Self Help Groups programme provides adequate scope for the
rural households, especially for women, to help in developing their self confidence and social
behavior through a series of trainings and groups meetings organized by the agencies like
NGOs banks and Governments. Hence the present study is undertaken to analyse the
handicraft goods selling of Self Help Groups products in the Nilgiris district of Tamilnadu.
List of Handicraft goods
The following goods produce the self help groups.
1.Nilgiris oil 2.Incense 3.Cambhor 4.Shawl 5.Mat 6.Flower Bouquet 7.Varieties of soaps
8.Chocolates 9.Sweater 10.Scarf 11.Tea dust 12.Honey 13.Ooty varkey 14.Banana chips
15.Toys and dolls and 16.Bamboo stick product.
Objectives of the Study
To evaluate the major problems faced by the members of SHGs.
To know the slowly selling to the handicraft goods.
To The Investment amount bending for obstacles SHGs selling impact.
Scope of the Study
The study is restricted to the Nilgiros District in the state of Tamilnadu. The sample is
selected at random from SHGs in the study area. Since study is for generally evaluation of the
major problems faced by the handicraft goods selling of SHGs, only aspect related to members
were collected.
Methodology
For the purpose of this study the primary data were collected through well structured
interview schedule containing questions relating to major problems faced by handicraft goods
selling of SHGs like personal problems, marketing problems, financial problems, product
oriented problems by discussion with the two members of each SHG. The field survey has
been carried out only in the Nilgiris district (Coonoor, Kothagiri,Gudalur,Pandalur,Kundha). It
covers 50 SHGs both registered and unregistered in the study area. Simple Random Sampling
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AEIJST - July 2016 - Vol 4 - Issue 7 ISSN - 2348 - 6732

was used to select the respondents, out of 50 SHGs two members from each SHGs were
selected for the study. In order to probe the major problems faced by the selling their product
were identified and included in the questionnaire.

Marketing of selling Problem

Limitations of the Study

This study is limited only to The Nilgiris District
Many members are not ready to give actual information
Time is one of the constraint to meet more respondents
Findings
1. It takes long span to sell a product
2. To get more profit we have to wait for a long interval.
3. It takes long time duration to settle back the bank loans.
4. There is no interest shown in producing home made products since there is no profit
earned at desired time
5. Since there are no sales as they aspire we can find jobless status.
Suggestions
1. Due to shortage in selling the product, Government should be ready to purchase the
product in a reasonable rate.
2. There will be no problems regarding Investment and profit, it Government take necessary
steps to sell these products.
3. Banks should increase the time span for loan which is been provided to them.
4. It will be better to conduct awareness programmers for increasing the production.
5. It is a good aspect to give job opportunities to self-help group.
Conclusion
Women self help group is been started with a small investment for the production,
these products should be sold faster and only then they can find profit out of it, but it is not
so easy to sell these products within a limited period of time. It will be better if government
purchase the products from these group and sell these products in ration shop or it can be
given to co-operative society where they can make sales of these products and by doing so
these group can get more chances and opportunities to standardize their lives.
All the products which is produced in India should been purchased by pupil in our own
society and this in the main motive of this research wanted to point out.

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