Evaluation of poultry egg marketing in Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State, Nigeria

F.A. Nse-Nelson,J.C. Kurumeh,K.R. Osondu

doi:10.4314/as.v17i1.1

Abstract

The study focused on evaluation of poultry egg marketing in Ikwuano Local Government Area (LGA) of Abia State. The specific objectives were to describe the socio-economic characteristics of egg marketers in the study area, determine the structure of the egg markets using the market concentration index, determine the costs and return of egg marketing and examine factors that influence the profitability of egg marketing. Two stage sampling technique was adopted for this study. Six communities were purposively selected from the ten communities in the LGA. Ten poultry egg marketers were selected from the six communities using simple random sampling technique. This made the total number of respondents to be sixty. Descriptive statistics, gini coefficient, costs and return analysis as well as multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data collected. The results showed that majority (55%) of the egg marketers were males who are still young and agile. They were also married with moderate household size. Many were dominantly farmers and acquired different levels of education. The concentration index showed that egg markets were also highly concentrated with core to perfect equality in size distribution. The result showed a net return of ₦215 and marketing efficiency of 1.035. The coefficient for age, education, sex, and price had positive relationships with amount of sales while household size had a negative relationship with it. Variables that positively influence amount of sales from egg marketing should be considered and strengthened in policy implementation. There is need for guaranteed minimum prices for egg, to reduce price fluctuations and increase consumption of eggs. Keywords: poultry egg, market structure, marketing, Abia State

Highlights

Poultry is the term used for a collection of birds that are reared or hunted for a useful purpose by man
In Nigeria, the demand for poultry egg has risen from 500,000 metric tonnes in 1980 to about 1,500000 metric tonnes in 2012 (FAO, 2012)
The specific objectives of the study are to describe the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents, determine the structure of the egg markets, determine costs and return of egg marketing and examine the factors that influence the profitability of egg marketing

Summary

Introduction

Poultry is the term used for a collection of birds that are reared or hunted for a useful purpose by man. Poultry is one of the world’s major and fastest growing sources of meat, representing over 22% of the meat production in 1989 (Mohammed et al, 2013; Chukwuji et al, 2006). Poultry eggs have assumed the role of providing much needed animal protein to mankind (Aihonsu and Sunmola, 1999). According to Alabi and Isah (2002), poultry eggs contributed to the palatability of many dishes by adding about the same amount of animal protein as pork and poultry meat. Poultry egg has attained industrial importance as a major ingredient in the baking of confectioneries. The need for animal protein in human diet has been recognized for long. Malnutrition in human diet has been a major issue being debated on worldwide. In the developing countries, cases of poor health condition were traced to lack or inadequate animal protein in their diet

Objectives

Methods

Results