No abstract

Efficient marketing system is a necessary prerequisite for the consolidation of the growth and development of cattle production industry. Hence this study was carried out to determine the profitability or otherwise of the cattle trading, the marketing efficiency and the problems confronting the traders in Jos metropolis of Plateau State Nigeria. Primary data was generated through focus group discussion technique. Questionnaire schedules were used to elicit further information from the cattle traders. The sample frame comprised all the traders in the markets from where 120 respondents were systematically selected. Marketing margin, profit margin and marketing efficiency models were used to analyze the data. Result show, that on average each respondent makes profit margin (monthly income) of ₦90450. The marketing margin is 15.5%. Analysis of the marketing efficiency also shows that it is inefficient (89%) as costs constitute a very high percentage of sales. Some of the trader's problems include lack of basic market infrastructure, inadequate livestock inspection by the veterinary authorities, inadequate transport facilities and multiple taxation by legal and illegal entities. The study recommends the amelioration of these problems as it will go a long way in consolidating the growth already achieved in cattle production and marketing in the study area.

The growth and sustenance of firms are primarily determined by their productivity and efficiency. However, the productivity analysis has generally been skewed toward formal enterprises in the extant literature. For developing countries that characteristically have a greater share of informal employment, understanding the theoretical foundation of informal productivity and the proposed remedies could be the grounds for further research and deeper thinking for enhanced productivity. The central question of this paper is formulated on how a combined theoretical approach on the characteristics and location of firms could enhance knowledge on the hindering and promoting factors of productivity and efficiency among informal enterprises. Using the PRISMA methodology, 141 theoretical and empirical studies were reviewed, which revealed a central role of local and national governments in providing enabling infrastructure for the informal economy. It was found that factors like knowledge sharing, capitalisation, improved credit sector, geographical concentration, and decongestion of industrial clusters could promote productivity among informal producers. It, therefore, falls on various stakeholders to plan and execute policies on infrastructure, land‐use policies, tax, and credit that simultaneously lessen the inherent constraints of informality, while enhancing enablers of production.