Training Needs of Cooperative Members and Marketing of Agricultural Products in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Abstract

During the harvest period of, most farm products get spoilt or sold at give away prices due to local glut. Thus, the relationship between the training needs of multi-purpose cooperative society members and the marketing of agricultural products in Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria was studied. Using random sampling technique, we selected 500 respondents from a population of 902 registered members of cooperative societies in Uyo Local Government Area. Agricultural Marketing Training Needs Questionnaire (AMTNQ) was developed and used for data collection and the data were analysed using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation (PPMC). There was a significant relationship between distribution or storage training needs and effective marketing of agricultural products. Public relations training needs also correlated significantly with the marketing of agricultural products by the cooperative members. We suggest that graduates and school leavers in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria be motivated by the government, International agencies, the communities and parents to take up on- and off-farm businesses through incentives such as loans and trainings, using multi-purpose cooperative societies as platform.

Key words: Training needs, cooperative societies, marketing, agricultural products.