THE PROBLEMS OF MARKETING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS IN ABAKALIKI IN EBONYI STATE
(A CASE STUDY OF EZILO)
ABSTRACT
The study on “problems of marketing agriculture products in Abakaliki Ezilo local government area was carried out to investigate the problems militating against the effective marketing of agriculture products in Abakaliki and proper solutions to them. Six research questions were answered and two hypothesis, postulated and tested to guide the study. Thirty related literature was consulted. A sample size of 400 out of a population of 12140 farmers were used for the study, that data collected through the use of questionnaire instrument were analyzed with percentage to answer resrach questions and the data analysed and discussion of the result gave the following findings.
(a) Agricultural products marketed in Abakaliki local government area include palm produce, oil, rice, cassava and yam, beans and maize.
(b) Problem of marketing them include bad roads, transportation difficulty, illiteracy, storage, language and absence of agrobased industries.
(c) Agricultural products were purchased for consumption as article of trade and as raw material for industry.
(d) These products were transported to the market chiefly on head, by cycles and motor car.
(e) Government helped in marketing of the product in a number of ways
(f) These problems could be stopped by constructing roads, establishing agro-based industries, setting up adult education programmes. I make the following recommendation based on the above findings.
i. There should be adequate feeder road
ii. There should be adequate markets information
iii. Adequate storage facilities should be provided
iv. Adult education programmes should be established.
v. Government mass transit vehicles should be made to apply the rural roads.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page
Approval page
Dedication
Acknowledgement
Abstract
Table of contents
CHAPTER ONE
1.1 Background of the study
1.2 Statement of problem
1.3 Objective of the study
1.4 Research question
1.5 Scope of the study
1.6 Significance of study
1.7 definition of terms
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Cause of price fluctuation
2.2 Problems of middle men in marketing agricultural produce
2.3 The effect of government policies in marketing agricultural produce
2.4 The importance of transportation and good road in marketing agricultural produce
CHAPTER THREE
3.0 Methodology
3.1 research design
3.2 Area of study
3.3 Sample and sampling techniques
3.4 Instrument of data collection
3.5 Validation of the instrument
3.6 Reliability of the instrument
3.7 Method of data collection and administration
3.8 Limitations of the study
CHAPTER FOUR
4.1 Data presentation analysis and interpretation
4.1 Data presentation and results
4.2 Test of hypotheses
4.3 Summary of result
CHAPTER FIVE
5.1 Discussion of results
5.2 Conclusion
5.3 Recommendations
5.4 Suggestions for further studies
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Human being’s needs include those of food, shelter and clothing. Food in man’s existence has not been in doubt at any point the most important thing in man’s development and as important and unavailable as, it is in man’s scheme of things. Food does not just fall from nowhere for man to feed on rather it comes as a result of some agriculture productive activities, that is the creation of goods. It is common historical knowledge that man’s earliest economic engagement was in the form of agriculture refers to the act and science of the cultivation of the land for purpose of growing foodstuff for both human and animal consumption.
Marketing on the other hand, simply refers to any human activities directed at satisfying needs to wants through exchange process. That is to say that the underlying responsibility of marketing is the satisfaction of human need (food, shelter, clothing) and wants (education, prestige, marriage etc) marketing of course does to take the place just because there are some needs and wants to satisfy and purchase the means (money and product) of satisfying them are available, nor rather marketing takes pace where the consumer decides to part with his money or rather valuable for a products he desires to have.
Marketing of agriculture product refers to the parting of money for agriculture products by a consumer or reseller, or the other way rounds the parting of the produce for money by the producer (farmer) or trader. What the farmer in the remotest area of the country does is of very important concern to marketing, marketing is all about the:
1. Performance of economic activities