COSTS AND RETURNS OF SWEET MELON MARKETING IN BAUCHI AND GOMBE STATES, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study examined the costs and returns of wholesale and retail sweet melon marketers in Bauchi and Gombe States, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 300 sweet melon and water melon marketers from 18 markets, 135 marketers were selected from Bauchi State and 165 from Gombe State. Data were collected using structured questionnaires. The result indicated that wholesale sweet melon marketers received the higher net income of N 629.16 and the total revenue of N 6163.68 in scarcity period, whereas the higher return per capital invested of 0.51 was recorded in surplus period. Inconsistence and poor prices ranked 1st, poor transportation facilities ranked 2nd and perishability of the products ranked 3rd constituted the major problems against sweet melon marketing in the study area.  Conclusively, sweet melon marketing was found to be profitable in both wholesale and retail categories in all seasons. The study therefore, recommended that Government and stakeholders should ensure the provision of the above mentioned and encourage the marketers to make better use of such.