FACTORS AFFECTING THE CHOICE OF MARKETING OUTLETS ON WATER LEAF GROWERS IN IBESIKPO ASUTAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

ABSTRACT The study seek to determine the factors influencing the choices of water leaf farmers marketing outlets. The specific objectives were to examine the socio- economics characteristics of the farmers, identified the marketing outlets of waterleaf in the study area, identified the preferred marketing outlets of waterleaf in the study area, determine the factors influencing the choices of water leaf farmers marketing outlets and analyse the constraints associated with each choice of water leaf outlets. Multi-stage sampling, random and purposive sampling technique were adopted to obtain 120 maize farmers for the study. Primary data were collected using well-structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, production function model and four-point likert scale. The result revealed that majority (71.67%) of the respondents were female with a mean age of 45.1 years, 80.0% of the respondents were married, 94.5% had formal schools with a mean of 13 years of formal schooling, with average six(6)persons per household, with a mean farming experience of 11years. The mean monthly household income was N38, 781. Majority (57.5%) of the respondent main occupation was farming. (64.2%) of the respondents belong to a social organization. About (70.8%) of the respondents used land inherited. Majority (74.2%) of the respondents do not have access to extension contact. The preference outlet result showed that majority (74.2%) of the respondents prefer direct consumer as choice of outlets of waterleaf sales, followed by 25.83% of the respondent prefer wholesale market as choice of outlets of waterleaf sales while the remaining 14.17% of the respondents prefer brokers as choice of outlets of waterleaf sales. The reason for preference of the out in the study area showed that, five (5) out of ten (8) variables were significant reason for preference of the outlet of the respondents in the study area. They included; immediate cash payment (X ̅ = 4.68), buyers aided harvesting (X ̅ = 4.56), availability of transportation means (X ̅ = 4.28), available quantity (X ̅ = 4.25), higher prices (X ̅ = 4.19) seven (7) out of twelve (12) were constraints influencing waterleaf farmers in the study area. They included; credit access by wholesalers (X ̅ = 4.442), labour availability at harvest (X ̅ = 4.225), size of the waterleaf plots (X ̅ = 4.142), real purpose of waterleaf cultivation (X ̅ = 4.133).therefore the study recommended that farmers should cultivate the habit of saving to enable accumulate sufficient capital to expand their farm business., government should put in place policies that would ease access to loanable funds by the small scales farmers.