The Roles of Middlemen in the Marketing of Paddy Rice
Chapter One
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The overall objective of this study is to determine the role of middlemen role on the marketing of paddy rice in Kwande L.g.a, Benue state, Nigeria.
The specific objectives of this paper are to:
- Examine the socio-economic characteristics of the paddy rice marketers in the study
- Identify the marketing channels adopted by the middlemen in the study
- Ascertain the participation of middlemen in the paddy rice trade and their activities in the marketing of paddy rice.
- Ascertain the cost and returns of paddy rice marketers in the study
- Analyze the relationship between middlemen role and performance of paddy rice marketers in the study.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Concept of Middlemen
Middlemen, also referred to as intermediaries, play a vital part in ensuring that the distribution channel between the producer and the consumer is complete. The more the intermediaries in the supply chain, the higher the distribution channel. The main objective of marketing is to create valuable exchanges between consumers and producers. The market consists of those consumers who are willing and able to purchase products, hence creating exchanges that satisfy both parties.
Examples of middlemen include wholesalers, retailers, agents and brokers. Wholesalers and agents are closer to the producers. Wholesalers buy the goods in bulk and sell them to the retailers in large quantities. Retailers and brokers acquire the goods from the wholesalers and sell them in small quantities to the consumers. Consumers may also choose to bypass the intermediaries and buy directly from the producers. This is referred to as disintermediation.
Products purchased from your favorite stores often involve distribution from a variety of sources. Getting a product to the market largely requires an effective marketing channel for companies that manufacture durable goods and other products. A supply chain typically features various middlemen between the manufacturer and the consumer, such as distributors, wholesalers and retailers.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Sampling procedure and technique
Multistage random sampling technique was used in selecting the respondents used for the study.
Stage 1: This involved random selection of three (3) communities out of seven (5) communities in the study area;
Stage 2: two (2) villages were randomly selected, making a total of 6 villages;
Stage 3: This involved purposive selection of ten (20) respondents from each of the villages engaged in rice production and marketing making a total of 120 respondents who was used for the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Socio-Economic Characteristics of Respondents
The socio-economic characteristics of the respondents are examined under the following: sex, age, marital status, household size, years of education and years of experience in rice business
Table 4.1.1: Distribution of Rice marketers in terms of sex, age, marital status, household size, years of education and years of experience in rice business.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary of Findings
This study seeks to evaluate the role of middlemen roles on the marketing of paddy rice in Kwande L.G.A of Benue State, Nigeria. The specific objectives of the study include examining the socio-economic characteristics of rice marketers, identify the marketing channels adopted by the middlemen, ascertain the participation of middlemen in the paddy rice trade and their activities in the marketing of paddy rice, ascertain the cost and returns of paddy rice marketers, analyze the relationship between middlemen role and performance of paddy rice marketers and analyze the factors affecting the marketing of paddy rice in the study area. The descriptive statistics, schematic figures, cost and returns analysis and simple linear regression analysis were used to analyze the objectives.
Result from the socio economic characteristics of the sampled respondents’ shows that the male rice farmers constituted 67.5% of the sampled population; while 32.5% comprises of the female paddy rice marketers. The mean age of the paddy rice farmers was 43 years. The marital status shows that 84.2% of the rice traders were married, 11.7% were single and 4.2% of the sampled population indicated otherwise.
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