MARKETING OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS IN ANAMBRA STATE (A CASE STUDY OF SELECTED LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS IN ANAMBRA STATE)
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Agricultural product which are the main stay for human survival have been molested over time but vacantly more efforts are devoted to it and adoption of mechanized system of farming makes agricultural product effort encouraging marketing as applied to agricultural product consisting of all the processes and services involved in moving food and other farm products from the producer to the final consumer in another development, marketing is defined as:
- The human activating directed at satisfying need and want through exchange process. It can also be defined as’’ the process in a society by which the demand structure for economic good and service is anticipated, enlarged and satisfied through the conception, promotion, exchange and physical distribution of such good and services in socially responsible manner.
In recent time, the problems encountered by farmers in the marketing of agricultural products include storage, logistics, promotion and lack of marketing mix. Inadequate or poor storage facilities have made the products to deteriorate easily and never to last for longer period. Some farmers do not even have storage for their products, those who have lack the method of preservation but with planed and comprehensive scheme for good nationwide storage and bulk ware housing for coco – yam, yam, cassava including seeding for replanting could be preserved all the year round. The need for these facilities is easily recognized in view of the enormous waste and acute price instability cause by the agricultural product. Some farmers do not know their customers, where to shift their products due to the fact that marketing research is not practiced. Unreliable population figure, lack of statistical records to indicate the age, income group, educational level and the social norms make the farmers not to know the actual place to shift their products
Lack of access to good road and transpiration system has hindered agricultural product distribution. Some framers see vehicles eg one in a day, while some have to walk many kilometer before sending the product to their destination, some may also get damaged along the way. The idea of marketing mix is lacked by the farmers and the mix includes product, price, promotion and physical distribution. The interest of customers should be considered by the farmers before determined the kind of product to produce and introduce to the market for specific groups and according to the tastes and standards. Even in development countries this technique is applied by the government to decide WHAT, WHEN, and WHERE, some social amenities are provided for the development programmers. The uncertainty and price fluctuation faced by the framers do not have specific price for their product generally and in most cases the price are determined by the number of buyers and sellers
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
In the past, production was for consumption and inters house hold exchange and was therefore primary, of subsistence in nature and made little or no room for specialization because farmers produce all they needed. Barter system of exchange involved the exchange of a commodity for goods. This type of exchange system is disadvantageous in that it is clumsy and it wastes time. It depends entirely on double coincidence of wants in the sense that the buyer does not only find the seller who has what he (the buyer) has for exchange
Presently, there are change of marketing system through money system. This help to build up large farmers as the agricultural production and marketing specialist.
More market are been set for the marketing of agricultural products at the large farmers produced more products. These markets help to recognize marketing of agricultural products in anambra state.
2.1 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
The development of agricultural is as old and closely associated with the evolution of mankind since food is one of the essentials of life. But it is better truth to note that agricultural, which before the discovery of oil in Nigeria was the largest earner of foreign exchange for the nation, has not been given adequate attention and marketing of agricultural products have been affected by many factors, it is believed that efficient marketing of agricultural products will encourage and motivate our local fssssssarmers to invest more on agriculture. But this will be impossible if some of the problems facing the marketing of agricultural product are lift un-attended to, through this study, we intend to determine the effect of storage and transportation over the marketing of agricultural products in anambra state. What are the mode of transportation used in the distribution of products in this area?
How do they affect production and marketing of agricultural product? Also what are the modes of storage used in the presentation of products in the state?
Do the methods reduce waste? What are the effects on price of goods?
1.3 PURSOE OF STUDY
The objective for which this study was carried out were;
- To determine the effect of storage, transportation and efficient marketing of agricultural products
- To examine the effort of price and availability of these products to the area where they may be needed
- To make recommendations for further studies based or findings.
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
From the statement of problem, it is know that the framers in anambra state face two major problem of the sate and transportation in the process of marketing their farm products.
The role of transportation in the agricultural development stated that from time immemorial agriculture and transportation have co-existed inseparably because the source of food and economic produce must be reasonably accessible and on being collected and distributed to markets and factories where they are needed.
Economic theories argue that production is complete when goods get to the hand of the ultimate consumers or users and in this senesce the study of storage and transportation Problems in marketing become most inevitable since storage and transportation is not primary importance in the market of foodstuffs. The problem they pose should be investigated and of improvement suggested.
1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
To successfully answer the above question from the statement of the problem a research is needed on them, and this study is studed to carry out a research on them and find out what impact those problems have on the marketing of agricultural products in the area of study includes.
- What crops do farmers in anambra state produce?
- How do they store their products?
- What do the farmers use in storing their products?
- Are the store products usually attracted by the pests?
- How far is the point of production to the nearest place?
- How does the mode of transportation affect sales?
- What means do the farmers use for their product to the market place?
- Do storage and transportation affect the price of the products?
The scope of the study is the marketing of agricultural products in anambra state through there were many areas connected with this, the researcher hard settled with selected local government area in anambra state. This researcher study was limited to geographical area of anambra state and its environment.
Anambra state was considered a good study because this is a state with the great member of farmers or producers of agricultural product hence considered the marketing of agriculture product in some marketing.
In addition to being one of the largest states marketing agricultural product, there are some number of markets being considered like ose market Onitsha, okiti market, ogbaru, atani market and others
With regards to the population of anambra state and with it having the number of agricultural product, in the markets, the researcher was convinced that the information gathered from this market and farmers would be good enough to describe the marketing of agricultural products in anambra state.
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