ABSTRACT
The study examined plantain marketing in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to describe the social-economic characteristics of plantain marketers in the area, identify the marketing channel of plantain marketing system in the study area, evaluate the costs and returns of plantain in the study area and to identify the constraints faced by plantain marketers.
A primary data used in this study generated through administration of well-structured questionnaire to 72 respondents selected using a two stage sampling procedures involving random and purposive sampling techniques. Data collected were analyzed using frequencies, percentages and mean.
Results from the study showed that the respondents were all females (72%), majority of them attended secondary schools and are in the middle age. Results of the study also shows that majority of the marketers are retailers(68%) who bought directly from the farmers while 32% were wholesalers. 75% of the buyers in the study area were consumers.
The evaluated cost and returns showed that the average marketer revenue for a month was N174,045, total variable cost was N57,383, total cost was N58,633, and the profit was N115,412, which indicates that plantain is a profitable business.
Results also indicated that high purchasing cost, high transportation, lack of transport vehicles and low capital were the most serious constraints faced by these marketers. It was therefore recommended that in other to stabilize the cost of plantain and income of the marketers, in other to reduce transportation cost and increase transport vehicle , measures should be taken by the government to provide adequate transportation vehicles, establish good storage facilities, provide good roads and also provide capital for these marketers.
