Role of transportation and marketing in enhancing agricultural production in Ikwo local government area of Ebonyi state, Nigeria.

Abstract

Role of transport and marketing in enhancing agricultural production in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Nigeria was studied. A multi stage sampling procedure was used to select   300 respondents for the detailed study. A structured questionnaire was used to elicit information from the respondents. Data collected were analyzed  using of chi-square. The results show that head carrying, use of wheel barrows, bicycles, motor van, keke, donkeys, and motor cycles were various traditional modes of transportation for inter local transport of agricultural products. Furthermore, the result reveals that producers, retailers, consumers, wholesalers and processors were the marketing channels in the study area. Additionally, transportation and marketing have greatly enhanced the growth of agricultural production in the study area , despite existing problems such as bad roads, high cost of transport, few vehicles, poor drainage channels, culverts, few bridges and poverty. Also, the solutions to the identified problems were giving out loans to farmers, construction and repairs of roads, use of rail, mass transit, encouraging farmers’ cooperative societies and processing centres. However, If these solutions to the problems could be entrenched into policy framework at the three tiers of the governments, high returns in agriculture will  ensue. This will boost the contributions of agricultural sector to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP),which could translate to  better standard of living.