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ASSESSING ECONOMIC FACTORS AFFECTING THE MARKETING OF TOMATOES (SOLANUM LYCOPERSICUM) BY SMALLHOLDER FARMERS AT PORT HARCOURT CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETY IN RIVERS STATE OF NIGERIA
Abstract: This study investigated factors affecting the marketing of tomatoes at Port Harcourt smallholder Cooperative in Mazowe. A descriptive quantitative survey research design was adopted and questionnaires were used to collect data from local farmers. A sample of 100 farmers was randomly selected from the Port Harcourt Cooperative Society from a population of 296 farmers and data was analysed using SPSS version 17 and presented in the form of table, charts and figures. The majority (62%) of these of farmers were found to be selling their produce in urban markets mainly in Harare (Mbare Musika) while a few (38%) sold their produce in local village markets. The study established that the major factor affecting tomato marketing was lack of storage facilities such as cold rooms and coldcontaining trucks followed by poor transport mode as 87% of the farmers did not have their own transport and some used buses to carry their tomatoes to markets. Price fluctuations on the market and lack of market information also affected marketing of tomatoes. Lack of experience had an effect on a farmer’s quantity of harvest per hectare while age, gender and source of financing had no effect on quantity of harvest. From the results of the study, it can be recommended that there should be the creation of a Horticultural Marketing Board for smallholder farmers, pooling of resources by the farmers to acquire cold rooms and transport for the cooperative farmers which they could use in an organized manner and buying the right packaging materials such as plastic crates.
Keywords: Economic factors, Horticulture, Co-operative, Market, Marketing