Analysis of structure and performance of groundnut marketing in Niger State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study analyzed the structure and performance of groundnut marketing in Niger State, Nigeria. Multistage sampling technique was used to sample 92 marketers and data was collected with the aid of a well-structure questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Gini coefficient and gross margin analysis. The result revealed that the mean age of groundnut marketers was 35 years; 54.3% of respondents were female, 73.9% married, 38.0% had no formal education and 10.59 mean years of marketing experience. The result further revealed a Gini coefficient of 0.66 which is an indication of high level of concentration in the market, and gross margin of N7,929.63 was realized per 100kg bag of groundnut marketed. The study also found lack of credit facilities as the major problem encountered by marketers. Recommendations made include, formation of cooperative organization among traders and prices regulatory agencies should be strengthen and enlighten on the need to stabilize the price of groundnut.