Define the term ‘trade’. Describe the features of rural marketing centres and urban marketing centres.

Trade refers to the buying and selling of goods and services. All the places where buying and selling of goods takes place is called trading centres. Rural marketing centres, caters to the nearby areas. Here, the professional and personal services are not well-developed. They sell the most rudimentary items which are for the use of the local people. It includes mandis(markets) and retail shops.

The urban marketing centres provides more specialized services. They provide both ordinary products as well as the specialized products. They provide both manufactured goods and services and specialized goods and services. It has specialized market like market for housing, labor, etc. Some provide professional services like doctors, lawyers, teachers or professors, consultants, etc.