MIDDLEMEN IN THE SESAME VALUE CHAIN: THEIR CONTRIBUTION AND COST TO SMALLHOLDER FARMERS IN BAUCHI STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study examined middlemen’s contribution to sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) marketing in Bauchi State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used in selecting 204 sesame farmers and 60 sesame marketers. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results showed that respondents had an average age of 40 years; majority farmers (84.8%) and marketers (80.0%) were married. Majority (89.7%) farmers and most (96.7%) marketers were male, with the average household size of 7 persons. About 63% of the sesame farmers had a land size range of 1-4 hectares. Less than half (41.2% and 30.3%) of the farmers and marketers had 6-10 years of experience, and 43.1% and 41.7%, respectively, had at least secondary education. Most (73.0%) sesame farmers did not belong to any cooperative society, compared with marketers, 91.7% of whom belonged to various cooperative societies. Almost half (47.1%) of the farmers owned their land through inheritance; 42.6% sourced sesame price information from middlemen, with an average annual income of ₦798,248.04. The major factors that influenced farmers to trade through middlemen were high transportation costs, middlemen being better informed about market prices, and middlemen shortening the transaction period, with mean scores of 4.31, 4.18, and 3.91, respectively. Poor pricing (70.1%), exploitative practices by middlemen (63.2%), low profit margins (58.3%), and prolonged, deceptive bargaining (47.5%) were the major constraints sesame farmers faced when dealing with middlemen in the study area. The study concluded that middlemen’s major contributions to sesame marketing were facilitating sales, fair scaling, and paying better prices to a few. The study recommends government marketing interventions in sesame marketing activities, including price appreciation, reduced marketing costs, and the formulation and implementation of marketing policies aimed at improving infrastructure.