ABSTRACT
The aim of this study is to determine
the role of Road Transportation mode in Marketing of Agricultural Produce in
Abakaliki Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
To enhance a quicker, clearer and more
comprehensive understanding of the impact of this study the work has been
divided into fi8ve chapter.
Chapter one deals with the nature and
statement of the problem, objectives and scope of the study. Also included in the same chapter is the
statement of hypothesis, significance of the study and finally, a definition of
concepts very unique to the study.
Chapter two deal with a review of
related literature where other people’s views and opinions on road transport
and agriculture were highlighted.
The third chapter treated the research
methodology adopted and such other areas as method of investigation, population
and sample size and finally, the limitations of the study.
Chapter four forms the main basis of
the study as it treated the presentation and analysis of data collected for the
purpose of the study.
Lastly, chapter five dealt with a
summary of the findings, conclusion and recommendations.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE:
1.1 INTRODUCTION
1.2 STATEMENT
OF THE PROBLEM
1.3 OBJECTIVES
OF THE STUDY
1.4 RESEARCH
HYPOTHESIS
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE STUDY
1.6 SCOPE
OF THE STUDY
1.7 DEFINITION
OF TERMS
CHAPTER TWO
2.1 REVIEW
OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.2 AN
OVERVIEW OF TRANSPORT
2.3 CLASSIFICATION
OF TRANSPORT
2.4 PLACE
OF TRANSPORTS IN MARKETING
CHAPTER THREE
3.1 RESEARCH
DESIGN
3.2 SOURCE
OF DATA
3.3 POPULATION
OF THE STUDY
3.4 SAMPLE
SIZE DETERMINATION
3.5 SAMPLE
TECHNIQUES
3.6 RESEARCH
INSTRUMENT USED
3.7 LIMITATION
OF STUDY
3.8 METHOD
OF DATA TREATMENT AND ANALYSIS 33
CHAPTER
FOUR:
PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA
4.1 PRESENTATION
AND ANALYSIS OF DATA
4.2 TEST
OF HYPOTHESIS
CHAPTER
FIVE:
SUMMARY OF
FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATION AND
CONCLUSION
5.1 SUMMARY
OF FINDINGS
5.2 RECOMMENDATIONS
5.3 CONCLUSION
BIBLIOGRAPHY
CHAPTER ONE
1.1 INTRODUCTION
The quest of achieve self sufficiency
food production is one of the highest priority areas facing most of the world’s
today. It is also a problem that
threatens to worsen rapidly in the years immediately ahead.
On the otherhand, problems relating to
rural inaccessibility have continued to plogue the world, and in particular,
Nigeria Agriculture, it is on this basis that the government and transport policy
maker should intensify efforts to improve the transportation system especially
in road network system, their collective or individual efforts and endeavours
should be directed towards fighting a war against hunger, and providing
necessary transport facilities and services, and contribute to judicious
investment decisions in related areas that can help assume the supply of
additional food and it’s distribution to consumers.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Ever since the beginning of time,
agriculture and transportation have always co-existed inseparably. This is not only because the source of food
and fibre and other economic product must be reasonably accessible and on being
collected, be distributed to makers, parts and factories, but also that5 adequate
transportation mode and efficient carrier service operations are a necessary
condition for effecting an efficient physical distribution of agricultural
products. Indeed, adequate and efficient
transportation network is a cornerstone of the modern food marketing
system. Transportation thus services as
a means of moving goods, ideas and information geared towards increased
productivity.
In Nigeria, roads constitute perhaps,
the most important infrastructure in the structural transportation of her agriculture.
In Abakaliki, most of the roads
traverse a territory of sharp contrasts in climate, soit and vegetation and
this hinders agricultural progress in some rural areas, most of the roads which
are of course essential for the prompt evacuation of produce from the farms to
the market places are often times inaccessible all year round.
Most of these roads, especially feeder
roads are unsurfaced, narrow, bad, poorly drained and winding and this prevents
easy access to the hinter lend where the majority of the farmers are
located. Even in Abakaliki main town
where such roads are in a fair condition, there is the problem caused by poor
maintance, lack of adequate executive capacity, lack of suitable materials, and
management problem. The vicious combination
of these factors is that costs are higher, marketing possibilities are
uncertain and incentives to produce are low.
Besides, the inadequacy of road
network services are inefficiently executed.
Delay in transit, bad loading and offloading, and rough handling of
goods characterize road transport resulting in great losses from damages,
spoilage and detonation of products.
Poor transportation also has the added
effect of preventing farmers from specializing in the crops that offer them the
best return. Where transport is
inadequate, each former attempts to keep his family supplied with all their
needs, and he therefore retains more food than he actually needs, and he
therefore retains more food than he actually needs. This is because if he runs short, it will be
difficult to tap other resources and this entails higher losts as a result of
transportation this often poses a problem because urban dwellers will be faced
with dearth of foodstuffs and other essential goods manufactured from
agricultural materials. These problems
that confront rural transportation in Nigeria, therefore, hinder it’s ability
to improve the system of land use for agricultural production.
If agriculture is to respond to the
growing demand, than it will be necessary to evolve a good progressive rural
structure with rural roads to expedite and reduce the cost of flow of
agricultural commodities, information and all sorts of rural service to enable
it contribute meaningfully to general economic growth. This will help accommodate increased traffic
flows in both directions, inputs moving from the urban areas to the farms and
output in the opposite direction. The
task involves very large additions to rural road mode and maintaining existing
roads, the expansion of storage and processing facilities and a new
institutional arrangement for managing and financing the total system this is
of course, a no mean task indeed.
1.3 OBJECTIVES
OF THE STUDY
This study will attempt to relate road transport to the economy as
regards the role of a road transportation mode in marketing Agricultural
product in Abakaliki L.G.A. Ebonyi State.
The objectives include:
i.
To determine the extent to which road
transportation system has affected the marketing of Agricultural products.
ii.
To identify these factors that are directly
have contributed to this.
iii.
To offer useful recommendations with a view to
making the marketing of Agricultural products in Abakaliki L.G.A. Ebonyi State,
more successful and effective.
1.4 RESEARCH
HYPOTHESIS
Based upon the earlier stated objectives, this study will see
to test three major hypotheses. These
are:
i.
That the nature of road mode system in Abakaliki affects the
marketing of her agricultural products.
ii.
That inaccessibility reduces the incentive to produce.
iii.
That the cost of transport affects the price of the farm
products. That is, that the price of
agricultural products is a function of the transportation cost.
1.5
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY:
The increased
interest in this study is due pointy to the gainful and developmental inputs
agriculture can make to the economy and most importantly to the tremendous role
of transportation infrastructure on regional economies. This is because transport and development, as
well as Agriculture are usually regarded as closely related since each of them
influences the fortures and relative rate of growth of others.
The
significance of the study is further highlighted considering that in Nigeria,
the road is the only mode of transport by which all the states of federation
are linked especially with regards to the movement and distribution of
Agricultural products from various rural areas of production to the different
urban areas of the states for consumption.
Finally, the
study shall also serve as a stimulant or reference guide for further research
in this area especially in this era of population explosion and impending food
storage.
1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY:
In Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, most of the Agricultural Products
(Yams, garri, cassava, rice, vegetables, tomatoes etc), are produced in the
villages located in remote towns.
Because of difference in ecological factors such as climate, soil
texture, topography etc, some village produce more of one or several type of
food and other Agricultural products than the others.
Taking cognizance of the fact that the study covers the entire
Abakaliki local government area, as a result of dearth of time therefore, it
would be time some and almost impossible to visit all the towns and villages in
Abakaliki L.G.A. Ebonyi State.
Secondly, because the attendant cost involved if the
whole towns and villages should be visited cannot be afforded by the
researcher, coupled with the final year academic work, and recognizing that
Abakaliki town is the greatest producer of the main staple food items (yam,
garri, cassava, rice, groundnut, pepper) in the state, the study therefore will
be estricted and limited to the aforesaid zone in investigating the ro9le of
road transportation mode in marketing Agricultural products in Abakaliki,
Ebonyi State.
1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS:
Considering that the subject matter of the study is the
role of road transport mode in the marketing of Agricultural products. Definition of term will be attempted.
However, such definitions
are only made and to be understood within the contest of the study.
Agriculture may be defined as the Science, art, and
business of farming, it involves all activities directed towards food
production.
Marketing, on the other hand, is defined as the
performance of all business activities that direct the flow of goods and services
from the producer to the consumer it emphasizes the flow of products or service
that have already been produced.
Agricultural marketing therefore, may be defined as the
performance of all business activities involved in the flow of Agricultural products
and services from the point of initial Agricultural production until they are
in the hands of consumer’s it involves the application of the knowledge of
marketing to the formulation, implementation and control of activities which
are directly or related to agriculture.
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