Abstract
This study analyzed the structure and performance of cowpea marketing in Biu Local
Government Area, Borno State. The specific objectives were to: describe the socioeconomic
characteristics of cowpea marketers; determine the structure of cowpea
marketing; analyze the performance of the marketing and identify problems
associated with marketing of cowpea. Five cowpea markets were selected for the
study namely: Biu, Miringha, Mandaragrau, Mandafuma and Buratai. Twenty
respondents were randomly selected from each of the 5 markets giving a total of 100
respondents. Primary data and secondary information were used for the study and
the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Gini Coefficient and marketing
margin. The findings of the study indicated that majority (62%) of the respondents
were males, in the active age group of 31-50 years. The educational level of the
respondents showed that 85% had various form of education and 96% were married.
The Gini Coefficient for cowpea market participants showed an unequal distribution
in the income generated with Gini Coefficient of 0.39009. The cowpea marketing
margins were 27.3%, 30.8% and 28.4% for retailers, wholesalers and the marketers
that does both wholesale and retail respectively. Major problems associated with
cowpea marketing in the study area are insecurity (94%), inadequate storage
facilities (93%), insect pest infestation (91%) and high cost of transportation (78%).
The study concluded that there is a relatively low concentration in cowpea market in
the study area. The high level of market concentration is an indication of presence of
perfectly competitive structure in the cowpea market. The study recommended that
government and non-governmental agencies should empower the marketers through
the provision of micro credit facilities to encourage more people to go into cowpea
marketing
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