ECONOMICS OF COTTON MARKETING IN ZAMFARA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study analyzed the economics of cotton marketing in Gusau local government area of Zamfara State, Nigeria. Data were collected from 80 cotton marketers usingrandom sampling techniques. Descriptive statistics and gross margin were the analytical tools used. The result revealed that (31.2%) of the respondents were within the age of 31-40 years. Most (93.7%) of the respondents were males. The results further revealed that more than half (63.75%) of the respondents were married and had family size (43.7%) of 3-9 persons. The results indicated that about 45% of the respondents had non-formal education and 58.7% had 16 and above years of marketing experience. The results also revealed that cotton marketing in the study area was profitable with an attractive gross margin of ₦9,465 and marketers enjoyed a profit of ₦1.04 per Naira invested. However, cotton marketers were faced several constraints in their marketing activities; notable among them were price fluctuation, inadequate storage facilities and transportation costs. The study recommended that cotton marketers in the study area should form cooperative union which will help them stabilize and regulate the marketing activities and help them access adequate storages facilities that will reduce losses due deterioration and damage.