Analysis of Vegetable Marketing Determinants and Performance in Taraba State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study analyzed vegetable marketing determinants and performance in Taraba State, Nigeria. The specific objectives of the study were to describe the socio economic characteristics; determine the performance; examine the factors influencing the marketing margin; determine the structure of vegetable markets in the study area and identify the constraints associated with it. Multistage and random sampling procedures were employed in selecting 110 vegetable marketers for the study. The analytical tools employed were descriptive statistics, marketing margin, marketing efficiency index analysis, multiple regression and Gini coefficient analysis. Results revealed that 60% of the vegetable marketers were female with about 66.36% married and within the active age. The mean marketing experience was estimated at 8 years and majority, 89.09% of the marketers had access to market information with 85.45% using personal savings as their initial marketing capital. Marketing efficiency index of 114.40% indicated high efficiency with marketing margin of 24.48%. This implies that marketing of vegetable is profitable. The value of the coefficient of determination, (R2) of 0.8864 indicates that 88.64% of the variation in the marketing margin of the marketers was explained by the variables used in the model. The Gini coefficient value of 0.6858 indicated high level of inequality in earnings among the marketers hence high concentration. The major constraints identified were price fluctuation, 89.09% and perish ability, 72.73%. It was recommended that high level of sensitization on good storage systems, all season production and provision of infrastructural facilities be made to curtail the menace identified in the study area.