Price integration of sweetpotato marketing: implications for an efficient marketing system in Nigeria.

Abstract

This 2010 study was carried out in the south-east agroecological zone of Nigeria to determine the degree of market integration and infrastructural and social problems associated with sweetpotato marketing. In a food market economy like Nigeria, an efficient, integrated and spatial pricing system should lead to economic growth. This will be true if the price differential in traded product due to costs of transportation, storage and processing is effectively minimized over time and space. A multistage random sampling technique was used in selecting states, markets and respondents. A total of four states with 360 respondents (comprising 240 retailers, 120 wholesalers) in 24 markets were randomly chosen. The list of wholesalers and retailers who pay stall fees formed the sampling frame. Primary data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Analyses of data provided descriptive statistics and bivariate correlation coefficients. Results revealed that the markets were spatially separated but not fully integrated. The major problems of sweetpotato marketing identified include, in order of severity (most to least): (i) the lack of credit facilities; (ii) perishability of sweetpotato; (iii) lack of good processing machines; (iv) inadequate market stalls; (v) high transport cost; (vi) bulkiness of the commodity; (vii) lack of storage facilities; and (viii) the negative attitude of law enforcement agents. The study concludes that in general, the markets in the zone are integrated but not yet perfect. Consequently, we recommend that advocacy on structural lending reforms be conducted and facilities provided to enhance marketing activities and efficiency in the zone. Market actors should be encouraged to form cooperatives to capture economies of scale, especially for capital build-up and to establish bulking centres.

Extension support for cassava (Manihot esculenta) production and processing in Nigeria: Effects on farm practice adoption

“…It has the ability to give appreciable yields on soils where many other crops fail to perform, thus has endeared its cultivation by many smallholder farmers (Anaglo et al, 2020). Cassava has become a very popular crop and is fast replacing other traditional local staples in the country (Anyaegbunam, et al, 2015;Zie et al, 2019).…”