Analysis of sawn wood market structure in Benue State, Nigeria

Abstract

The paper analysed the structure of sawn wood markets in Benue State. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select  respondents. A total of 100 sawn wood marketers from five Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the State were selected and sampled,  Copies of semi-structured questionnaire were used to elicit data for the study. The Market structure was analyzed using concentration  ratios such as Lorenz curve and Gini coefficient. The analysis of the distribution of the sales income of sawn wood marketers in Benue  State revealed a Gini coefficient of 0.26. The Lorenz curve for the income distribution of sawn wood marketers in the State showed a little departure from the 450 line and this is in line with the GC of 0.26. This implied a low variation in incomes and sales distribution of sawn  wood marketers in Benue State. It also showed a low market concentration of timber traders, which implied a fairly equitable distribution  of marketing agents in the state. A summary of the sawn wood market structure in Benue State indicated that the market structure  studied was oligopolistic i.e. few sellers and many buyers.