This study examined the volumes of timber species traded and their market structure in Benue State. Applying a multistage sampling technique at 30% sampling intensity, seven (7) LGAs were sampled from the 23 LGAs of the state for the study. Thus, 164, 79 and 13 respondents from timber traders, chainsaw millers, and sawmillers adding up to 256 respondents were randomly selected and interviewed to elicit data. The highest Gini coefficient values recorded among the three market actors were 0.333936, 0.321828, and 0.28846 for timber traders in Zone A, chainsaw millers in Zone 'B' and sawmillers in Zone 'A' respectively. This indicated a fairly equitable distribution among the timber trade actors. This implies that the timber market is monopolistic competitive in structure in the study area. Twenty-five timber trade species were identified in the study area. The volumes of timber traded monthly by timber traders in zones A, B and C were 2411 m 3 , 37,733 m 3 and 69,492 m 3 respectively, while the volumes traded by chainsaw millers were 8,188 m 3 , 5,804 m 3 and 9,877 m 3 . Similarly, the volumes of timber traded by sawmillers were 8,614 m 3 , 724 m 3 , and 2,593 m 3 respectively in zones A, B and C. Generally, 109,636 m 3 of timber was sold monthly by the traders in Benue State. Out of this volume, 69,492 m 3 representing 63.4% of the total volume of timber sold monthly in Benue State was from zone 'C'. This was followed by 37,733 m 3 (34.4%) and 2,411 m 3 (2.2%) from zones 'B' and 'A' respectively. A monthly volume of Original Research Article36,545 m 3 of timber on average was sold by every timber trader in Benue State. On average, 7,289.67 m 3 of timber was traded by a chainsaw miller every month. The highest volume of timber trade was in zone C represented by 9,877 m 3 . This was followed by 6,1888 m 3 and 5,804 m 3 respectively in zones 'A' and 'B'. A total of 21,869 m 3 of timber was traded monthly by the chainsaw millers. A total of 9,835 m 3 of timber was traded by sawmillers in Benue State. Out of this quantity, 4614 m 3 representing 46.9% of the total timber sold in Benue State by sawmillers was from zone 'C'. This was followed by zone B with 2,788 m 3 representing 28.3% of the total volume of timber sold by sawmillers on monthly basis in Benue State. Sawmillers in zone 'A' had the least monthly volume (2,433 m 3 ) of timber traded in Benue State. Sustainable management is therefore pertinent for the continuous supply of resources in Benue State.
The study was conducted to provide information on the level of consumption and income from palm wine and other industrial beverages in Cross River State, Nigeria. Data were collected from 82 sampled palm wine retailers in three geopolitical zones in the State. Semi-structured questionnaire, personal observations and focus group discussions were used to obtain data from retailers. Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The result of the study showed that consumption level of palm wine per day in the zones were in the order, Northern (33.3 L) > Central (24.8 L) > Southern (19.4 L). However, the consumption levels of palm wine from the Central and Southern Zones were not significantly different (P > 0.05) from each other. The Consumption level of other alcoholic beverages; Harp, Goldberg, Origin, Dry gin, Heineken, Stout, Gulder, and Star per day in the zones were in the order Northern (23.9 L)> Central (20.4 L) >Southern (17.6 L). The income level from palm wine was N1845.54, N1538.40 and N837.60 from the Northern, Central and Southern Zones, respectively. Total Performance Index based on taste, availability, and cost shows that mean daily consumption level of palm wine was higher than all the other alcoholic Ancha et al.; AJRAF, 3(1): 1-9, 2019; Article no.AJRAF.48150 2 beverages in the study area. The study recommends that Government and other development stakeholders on economic and environment should play greater role in promoting potential entrepreneurship in palm wine as a viable alternative source of livelihood through creation of awareness and better incentives for sustainable management of this natural forest resource. Original Research Article
This study investigates the profitability of trade in Moringa oleifera (Lam) Fresh Leaves and also examine the Socio-economic characteristics of Traders in Taraba State, between June, 2018 and May, 2019. Applying a multistage Sampling approach, 342 and 97 traders were randomly selected and administered with questionnaire in the wet and dry seasons respectively, to elicit data, which were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results on the socio-economic variables showed that female traders (94.7%), age class 31-40 (36.3%), Married (65.5%), Household size of 8 members and above (69.6%) and non-formal education (51.8%) featured dominantly in moringa fresh leaves trade. Furthermore, Gross Margin (GM) analysis showed that the monthly income from Moringa oleifera (Lam) fresh leaves was highest (N372.50 ± 125.15) in Ibi Local Government Area (LGA), while Bali LGA had the least GM of (N 88.83 ± 91.40) in the wet season. In the dry season, Gashaka LGA had the highest GM of N 228.00 (± 78.55), while Jalingo LGA was the least with GM of N 57.50 (± 86.68). The comparison of GM and Quantity of leaves sold (QLS) in the dry and rainy seasons were not significantly different. The Rate of Returns on Investment (RORI), Gross Margin Index (GMI) and Unit Price (UP) in the rainy and dry seasons were significantly at 0.05 level of probability. It is therefore recommended that Government and Non-government organisations (NGOs) should educate the traders on the marketing of Moringa oleifera leaves; Government and NGOs should also make loans available at one-digit rate; Government should put in place a security outfit to curtail the incessant crisis in Taraba; and traders should form cooperative society to access loans with the Bank of Industry through the Anchor Borrower scheme.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.