Market Structure and Performance for Plantain and Banana

Abstract

ABSTRACTPlantain and banana are important fruit crops cultivated mainly in the southern part of Nigeria. They constitute a source of livelihood for millions of people within the production zone. Marketing plays a central role in the distribution of plantain and banana. This study, therefore, examined the market structure and performance for plantain and banana. Structured questionnaires were administered to 120 respondents using a multistage sampling technique. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, marketing margin, and Gini coefficient. The results indicated that 88.6% of the plantain/banana marketers in the study area were women with an average age of 46 years having 20 years’ experience. An average of 1024.29 kg and 345.20 kg of plantain and banana were traded, respectively, per week. Gini coefficient and marketing efficiency were 0.50 and 1.86 and 0.60 and 1.34 for plantain and banana marketers, respectively. This implied that in the region, plantain is being traded in higher volumes compared to banana; thus, plantain marketing is more competitive than banana. For every ₦1 invested, ₦0.86 and ₦0.34 were realized as profit by plantain and banana marketers, respectively (₦1 = $0.006 at the time the study was carried out). Plantain and banana marketing is a profitable enterprise, but it is faced with the challenges of a poor transportation system, inability to access credit facilities, and perishability nature of the produce. Efforts aimed at ameliorating transportation problems, provision of credit, and storage facilities will strengthen the marketing system to improve its effectiveness and efficiency in plantain and banana distribution in Nigeria.