ABSTRACT

The study analyzed the cost and ret-urns z f timber marketing in Industrial Timber

Market Umuahia Abia State, Nigeria. TI a specific objectives of the study arc to

describe the socio-economic characterisi s of the respondents in the study area,

estimate the marketing margin of timber tnarketing in the study area, Analyze the

ffeet of the soeio-economic factors on the timber marketers in the study area,

describe the market structure and markedng channel of timber marketing in the

tudy area, Ascertain the problems of tinther marketing in the study area. A set o[

questionnaires were used to collect data ñom 80 randomly selected respondents.

Data analysis were carried out with the u a of statistical tools like frequency, mean

percentage and mLlltiple regression mod fs. About 2.5% of the respondents were

within the age range of 20-29 years, 30 of the respondents were within the age

bracket of 30-39 years, 51.25% were within the age bracket of 40-49years and 20%

were within the age bracket of 50-59 ye]s. The result also showed that 76.3% of

the respondents were married while 23 % were single. The result showed that

l5% of the respondents had primary ed:ation, 42.5% had secondary education,

and 42.5% had tertiary education. The ndings also showed that 58.75% ot thu

respondents had marketing experience of 1-loyears, 12.5% had markctin

experience of 2 1-30 years, 25.0% had marketing experience of 2 1-30 years and

3.75% had marketing experience of about 3 1-40 years. The marketing margin of

timber marketers is 30.41%, this indicaus that the difference between the price

paid by the consumer and that received by the producer is 30. 1 4%. From the

regression result, age was negatively gnificant at 1% level and affects the

profitability of timber marketing negati\ iy, educational level, gender, household

size, marketing experience are positively significant and affect the profitability 01

timber positively.