Supply Chain Integration and Marketing Success of Agricultural Producers in South-East Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between supply chain integration and marketing success of agriculture producers in Nigeria. The study adopted a positivist research philosophy and the correlational research design. The population of this study is made up of all the agricultural producers in South-East Nigeria. The exact population of agricultural producers in the South-East Geopolitical Zone is unknown, hence the Cochran’s formula was used to arrive at a sample size of 384 agricultural producers. The 384 agricultural producers were drawn from the five (5) states in the South-East Geopolitical Zone. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain data from the respondents. The data collected were analyzed statistically while the Pearson Product Moment Correlation (r) was used to test the hypotheses. The Pearson Correlation Coefficient (r) was computed using SPSS 23.0 version. The findings revealed that internal integration has significant relationship with sales growth of agricultural producers. The study also found a significant relationship between internal integration and market share growth of agricultural producers. A significant relationship was reported between supplier integration and sales growth of agricultural producers. The study also confirmed a significant relationship between supplier integration and market share growth of agricultural producers. The study equally found a significant relationship between customer integration and sales growth of agricultural producers. The study also discovered a significant relationship between customer integration and market share growth of agricultural producers. Based on these findings, it was concluded that supply chain integration is a significant predictor of marketing success of agricultural producers in South- East Nigeria. In line with the findings and conclusion, it was recommended that agricultural producers and marketers should embrace supply chain integration as it would enable them achieve marketing success.