Assessment of the Performance of Sweet Potato Marketing System in South East Agro Ecological Zone, Nigeria

Aims: To determine the sweet potato marketing channel, gross marketing margin and returns, marketing efficiency and state the policy implications of the study. Study design: Cross sectional study Place and Duration of study: South east agro ecological zone of Nigeria, between January 2010- December 2010 Methodology: A multistage randomized sampling procedure was used in selecting 120 wholesalers, 240 retailers age range 35-45 and then 24 markets respectively. Structured questionnaire was used to collect information from the respondents. Information collected bordered on volume and value of sales, cost of transportation and channel of distribution. Data were analyzed using marketing margin and Net-return analyses, Efficiency ratio, Chi square and Duncan multiple range tests. Results: The study showed that sweetpotato marketing is not efficient but lucrative. This is as depicted by the results. Net margins realized were N14,632,N24,100,N24,600 and N28,603 on the wholesalers sector while N3,256,N5728,N5775 and N10,000 were realized on the retailers sector. Efficiency results revealed that none of the states/sectors had efficiency of 100%.The efficiencies range (20-80%). There were significant differences in marketing efficiencies in the markets across the states studied. Conclusion: Lack of infrastructural facilities is the main problem militating against efficient marketing system in the zone under study. It is therefore, recommended that infrastructural facilities should be provided for the marketers to reduce spoilage and distressed sales .This will improve marketing efficiency