Articles
CHALLENGES IN HORTICULTURAL CROPS MARKETING IN NIGERIA: THE SPICES EXPERIENCE
Article number
1007_110
Pages
915 – 921
Language
English
Abstract
Horticulture is regarded as the practice or science of growing flowers, fruits and vegetables.
Spices are regarded as vegetable substances used to season foods such as nutmeg, garlic, ginger, onion, amongst others and which are usually in the dry form with distinctive flavors and aromas.
Despite the multifarious uses of spices, the economic analysis of the spice marketing system in Nigeria has been neglected as they are not regularly cultivated like most food crops.
This study was therefore designed to evaluate the economics of spice marketing and also identify the prominent constraints involved in their marketing in Nigeria.
Data were collected through the use of a structured interview schedule using 106 spice marketers comprising of 21 wholesalers and 85 retailers randomly selected from 13 identified spice markets spread across 12 local government areas of the three (Imo, Kano and Oyo) states sampled.
Data were subjected to descriptive and marketing margin analysis.
On average, marketing margin and efficiency of the spices sampled were in the ascending order; African-nutmeg > ginger > garlic.
Prominent among major constraints to marketing of spices in Nigeria was high transport cost.
Therefore, to fast track the process of increased production and marketing of spices for economic exploitation, awareness of the economic, medicinal and nutritional values of these spices should be emphasized.
Also, success in commercializing spices thus depends on the orientation of production to meet market demand and on the removal, or reduction, of a broad range of marketing constraints.
Spices are regarded as vegetable substances used to season foods such as nutmeg, garlic, ginger, onion, amongst others and which are usually in the dry form with distinctive flavors and aromas.
Despite the multifarious uses of spices, the economic analysis of the spice marketing system in Nigeria has been neglected as they are not regularly cultivated like most food crops.
This study was therefore designed to evaluate the economics of spice marketing and also identify the prominent constraints involved in their marketing in Nigeria.
Data were collected through the use of a structured interview schedule using 106 spice marketers comprising of 21 wholesalers and 85 retailers randomly selected from 13 identified spice markets spread across 12 local government areas of the three (Imo, Kano and Oyo) states sampled.
Data were subjected to descriptive and marketing margin analysis.
On average, marketing margin and efficiency of the spices sampled were in the ascending order; African-nutmeg > ginger > garlic.
Prominent among major constraints to marketing of spices in Nigeria was high transport cost.
Therefore, to fast track the process of increased production and marketing of spices for economic exploitation, awareness of the economic, medicinal and nutritional values of these spices should be emphasized.
Also, success in commercializing spices thus depends on the orientation of production to meet market demand and on the removal, or reduction, of a broad range of marketing constraints.
Publication
Authors
C.A. Akinpelu, O.S. Adebayo, T.A. Fariyike, O.M. Adewale
Keywords
horticulture, economic analysis, marketing constraints and spices
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