ANALYSIS OF COCOYAM (Xanthosoma sagittifolium and Colocasia esculenta) MARKETING IN RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

📄 Project Abstract

The study examined cocoyam marketing in Rivers State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to describe the systems of cocoyam marketing in the area; identify the market structure and conduct for cocoyam; determine marketing margin along with the profit efficiencies of cocoyam middlemen; determine the influence of socio-economic attributes of cocoyam marketers on their profit efficiencies; assess the effects of marketing costs and other factors on price of cocoyam at the wholesale and retail levels; determine the influence of cocoyam marketers' socio-economic attributes on their marketing margins; and identify the problems faced by cocoyam marketers in the area. Data were obtained from a sample of 210 traders. The study employed market concentration indices (concentration ratio (CR), Herfindahi index and Gini coefficients), marketing margin, and descriptive and inferential statistics for the analysis of data. The OLS multiple regression analysis model, maximum likelihood estimation mod...