ABSTRACT

The study access the efficiency measurement of plantain in Abia State. The objectives includes: to evaluate the losses incurred during sales whether as a result of lack of storage facilities or delay plantain marketing, determine the important criteria used in the sale of plantain, calculate the marketing margin, marketing efficiency and determine the profit function of the enterprise. Primary data were used and was analyzed by the use of simple percentages, tables, equation and multiple regression analysis. The results revealed that plantain marketers are mostly married people with little or no education, and mostly within the age bracket of 20 10 50yrs and above, also storage facilities contribute mostly to the losses of plantain the marketing channel to be producers-wholesaler-retailers-consumer. Plantains are sold in units, that is in bunches or fingers, the marketing margin to be 39% and marketing efficiency to be 687.8%, and the transportation cost constitutes the major cost in the marketing of plantain. From the regression, it was discovered that output price, cost of purchase and cost of transportation impacted on profit positively at 1 and 10% probability. The research work is divided into five chapters, chapter one stated arid defined the objective, statement of the problem, justification of the study. Chapter two tried to review related literatures by scholars in the area of study; chapter three defined the research rnthodology, while chapter four contained the data presentation, analysis and discussion of results. Chapter five where the findings were summarized, conclusion and recommendation were also made.