Use of Marketing Information by Cassava Farmers in Oshimili-North Local Government Area, Delta State, Nigeria

Abstract

Agricultural marketing is a series of inter-connected activities which depends to a large extent on the exchange of information. This study examined the cassava farmers’ socio-economic characteristics, their awareness of and utilization of market information as well as their sources of marketing information in Oshimili-North Local Government Area, Delta State. Primary data used in this study were obtained from 100 cassava farmers randomly selected from five markets using a well structured interview schedule. Frequency counts, percentages and means were used to describe the data collected while correlation analysis was used to test the hypothesis of the study. Study findings indicated that farming constituted the major occupation of the respondents, more women than men were involved in the cultivation and marketing of cassava products and majority of them were poorly educated as 64% of them were not educated beyond secondary level. Radio was the most used source of information on marketing activities while the least used source was trade fair. Cassava farmers were aware of marketing information on processed cassava products and mainly sold their harvests in forms of garri, flour, semolina, fufu, starch and chips. Although, cassava farmers’ income was significantly enhanced by their use of marketing information, they were however seriously constrained by inadequate supply of planting materials, seasonal price fluctuations, exorbitant market changes as well as high cost of packaging materials. Use of market information facilitates spatial distribution of products from farm gate to consumers in the cities and between markets. There is therefore compelling need to establish market information services to assist both farmers and traders to adjust to liberalized marketing in the short term and to assist farmers to better plan their production in the long term.