Marketing System Of Non-Timber Forest Products:-The Case Of Palmyra Palm In North-Eastern Nigeria

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the marketing system of Palmyra Palm products in North-eastern

Nigeria to; identify its marketable products, channels of distribution and roles of market

participants, and also assess its marketing facilities in North-eastern Nigeria. Data were

generated through market surveys and interviews on 203 respondents selected randomly

from Adamawa, Bauchi and Yobe markets. The generated data were analysed using

descriptive statistics where appropriate. Marketing system focusing market organization was

analyzed qualitatively by observing the marketing channels, roles of market participants and

marketing facilities. The results revealed that exchange and ownership of title to products

occurred at the local markets (54.0%), farmers' homes (37.7%), and farmers' farms (6.2%),

and inter-states' markets (2.1%). The marketing channel of Palmyra palm was highly

decentralised and thus the marketing system was expected to be operationally efficient.

However, because of poor road network, high transportation cost and poor marketing

facilities, the marketing system was adjudged operationally inefficient. Market participants

introduced flaws in the marketing system; farm-gate middlemen dominated marketing

operations, commissioned buying agents over-depended on wholesalers for capital, and

there was collusion in price determination. Marketing facilities namely market places,

storage, processing, transportation and packaging were crude and inadequate, while credit

facilities were virtually absent. To address these inadequacies, the study recommended

provision of improved marketing facilities and communication gadgets, formation of

consumer co-operative organizations to check the excesses of the middlemen in the market

and more research into the marketing of Non-timber forest resources.