Comparative analysis of plantain and banana marketing in Port Harcourt city metropolis, Rivers State, Nigeria

What is it about?

The study centered on a comparative analysis of marketing plantain and banana in Port Harcourt City, a front line city of South-South Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was employed to collect data from 126 plantain and banana marketers whom were selected using a simple random sampling technique from seven purposively-selected markets. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, a gross margin model, and the t-test. Findings showed that plantain and banana marketers were 100% female, that is only females were identified in the trade; 51.6% and 56.3% of these plantain and banana marketers had mean ages of 40.8 years and 59.5 years respectively; in addition, the majority of the marketers were married (73.0% and 65.1% respectively), for plantain and banana marketers. Furthermore, they earned a monthly profit of ₦55,370.42 and ₦47,654.74 respectively, which indicates that both businesses are profitable. Further, the plantain and banana trade shared similar marketing channels, the number of which was four, with the most dominant channel being the one composed of the producer, rural assembler, wholesaler, retailer, and the consumer. The t-test analysis demonstrated that the difference in profit by plantain and banana marketers was statistically significant at the p-value of < 0.05. Unemployed youths in Rivers State should be trained by well-meaning organisations so that they can take up the marketing of plantains/ bananas as a means of earning a living due to their profitability.

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Why is it important?

Marketing of food and agricultural commodities is a key driver to economic growth development, as it stimulates production and distribution. Despite the bottlenecks faced by keyplayers in enterprises of plantain and banana in the region, the study promises some lucrative and profitable opportunities for key players. Regarding the structure of the markets, women are key players. More so, plantain is traded in higher volumes than bananas. More so, the study shows that plantain and banana marketing system is clearly inefficient and could lead to wasted resources. Improving transportation, storage, and processing facilities, as well as providing credit, could help strengthen the marketing system. In addition, plantains and bananas are a source of livelihood for millions of people in the region. Historically, bananas were especially important to the economies of some African kingdoms before European colonization.

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