EFFICIENCY OF GARRI MARKETING BY PRODUCERS IN OKPE LOCALGOVERNMENT AREA OF DELTA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study examined the marketing efficiency of garri producers in Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria using the Shepherd – Futrel approach. Deploying the Taro Yamane and Bowler’s Proportional Allocation formulae, a sample of 120 garri producers was drawn from six (6) comm unities in the study area. Using well structured questionnaires, data were collected and subjected to both descriptive and inferential analyses. The study revealed that garri marketing by producers is a profitable venture as indicated by a mean annual profit of ₦536,053.00. A return on investment (ROI) of 1.46 indicating that for every one naira invested in garri marketing, ₦146 is obtained as return was also observed. The study, however, revealed that garri marketing by producers in the study area is inefficient as denoted by the coefficient of marketing efficiency (CME) value of 40.67 % which is less than 50%. Among the constraints to garri marketing investigated, inadequate finance proved to be the most severe. It is therefore recommended among other measures that platforms for easy credit access by garri producers and marketers should be provided by government and other relevant stakeholders at reduced or no interest rates.