ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the internal and external marketing problems of the agricultural cooperative societies in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Recently, in order to develop the performance and efficiency of their marketing functions and services, agricultural cooperative societies in the West Bank were merged to form the Agricultural Cooperative Union. To explore the nature of marketing problems, they can be divided into the following items: internal marketing problems, and external marketing problems. In the West Bank as well as in the Gaza Strip, there is no overall system to process the selecting, grading, and packing of fresh vegetables and fruits. The export markets for fruits and vegetables, however, are highly demanding and competitive and the smallest obstacle can damage success in exports. Investment in storage and cold stores is nowadays an absolute necessity for modern export marketing. Transportation and commission costs are considered an additional obstacle in restricting the flow of Palestinian agricultural produce into the importing markets.
