Socio-economic and institutional determinants of watermelon marketing in Enugu State Nigeria

Abstract

The study analysed the socio-economic and institutional determinants of watermelon marketing in Enugu state, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to: describe the socio-economic characteristics of watermelon marketers (wholesalers and retailers) and determine the factors influencing the net marketing returns of the marketers. Multistage sampling technique was employed in selecting eight watermelon markets based on the volume of watermelon traded in the markets. Primary data were collected from 160 watermelon marketers comprising 96 retailers and 64 wholesalers with the aid of well-structured questionnaire. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression model. Results showed that watermelon marketing was dominated by the married (76.25%), literates (97.5%) and females (78.13%) with the mean age and marketing experience of 47 and seven years respectively. The result from regression shows that product price (0.581) and transportation cost (-2.609) were statistically and significantly influenced wholesalers’ net marketing income, while product price (1.501), educational level (-0.584), storage cost (-0.131), packaging cost (-0.077) and market information (0.057) were statistically and significantly influenced retailer’s net marketing income. There exist potentials in watermelon marketing contributing positively to poverty alleviation, hence, there is need as for market intermediaries to improve their technical knowledge and skills in marketing of watermelon and other perishables through training; this is to ensure that the marketing system becomes more responsive to consumers’ demand.

Keywords: Socio-economic, institutional factors, watermelon, marketers, Enugu State