Comparative analysis of frozen and fresh fish mareting in Niger State, Nigeria-The case of catfish and mackerel.

Abstract

Despite government efforts at improving the consumption of locally produced goods (fish), many marketers still prefer the sale of imported fish. The study is aimed at conducting a comparative analysis of the determinants of frozen and fresh fish, the costs and returns and, the determinants of net income of the marketers in Niger State. The study employed multi-stage sampling technique while descriptive statistics, multiple regression and gross margin techniques were employed. Analysis of the determinants of demand for mackerel land catfish showed that price elasticity of demand was inelastic while the income elasticity of demand showed that fresh and frozen fish were normal goods. The cross elasticity of demand of fish for chicken and turkey revealed that fish and chicken were substitutes while fish and turkey were complements. The costs and returns analysis of catfish revealed that total variable cost (TVC) was 93.3% in which the cost of feed had the highest share of 70.2%. The total cost was ₦20653.10/month while the net income was ₦28589.80/month. Unlike catfishmarketing, cost of labour had the highest TV Cat 18.2% while the total revenue was ₦35162.9/month. The net income of ₦27994.70/month implied that catfish and mackerel marketing were profitable ventures in the area. The main determinants of net income of mackerel marketing included cost of transportation (P < 0.10), age (P < 0.10), capital input (P < 0.05) and utility (P < 0.01). Based on the results, given the total cost outlays of both mackerel and catfish marketing in the area, it is easier to start up frozen fish marketing than fresh fish marketing though there was no appreciable difference between the demand and elasticities of catfish and mackerel in the area.