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Abstract

Globally, quest for empowerment have increased the need of investigation into the economic activities of marketers. This study focused performance of yam marketing in Yewa Division of Ogun State, Nigeria with the specific objectives of describing the socio economic characteristics of the yam marketers; describe the cost and return structure of yam marketing; estimate the marketing margin and efficiency of yam and identify the problems militating against yam marketing in the study area. A two-stage sampling technique was used to select ten (10) markets. From each market, twelve (12) yam marketers were randomly selected and interviewed making a total of one hundred and twenty ( 120) sampled marketers for the study. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and budgetary analysis. Results obtained revealed that majority (95.8%) of the marketers were female with an average age of 41 years per marketer, married (85.8%), and illiterate with more than half of the respondents. Gross Margin (GM) and Net Income (NI) per month were N75,808.30 and N66,491.63 respectively implying that yam marketing was profitable in the study area. The Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR), Profitability Index (PI), Return on investment (ROI), Operating Ratio (OPR) and Rate of Return on Variable Cost (RRVC) were computed as 1.66, 0.40, 0.66, 0.55, and 1.83 respectively. These measures also show that yam marketing is profitable in the study area. An assessment of the marketing margin and marketing efficiency revealed the margin of N554.10. The marketing efficiency (ME) was estimated at 1.51. The problems militating against yam marketing were numerous but the main constraint facing them includes bad roads, poor storage, credit sales and poor and instable price of yam. Based on the study findings, it is recommended that Government should provide an enabling environment through the provision of needed infrastructural facilities especially good roads and yam marketing should also form an association to regulate market price and prevent the effect of glut in supply.