World Aquaculture Magazine - March 2021

58 MARCH 2021 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WA S .ORG the fish marketing system is discussed in this article. Study Procedure and Data Collection Ekiti State of southwest Nigeria is mainly an upland zone, rising to over 250 m elevation and situated entirely within the tropics (Fig. 1). The state covers approximately 6353 km 2 , with a population of about 3.9 million (National Population Census 2006), of which more than 60 percent reside in rural areas (Adesina 2008). Agriculture provides employment and income for approximately 75 percent of the state population. The state is divided into three Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) zones and also consists of 16 Local Government Areas. A structured questionnaire was administered to ten fish farmers, five fish wholesalers and 20 fish retailers from three ADP zones (Ado, Ikere and Ido-Osi). A multi-stage sampling procedure was stratified on the basis of the three ADP zones. Primary data were collected through structured questionnaires and interviews from January to November 2017. Secondary data were collected from bulletins, journals, conference papers, past projects, textbooks, articles, reports from ADP and records of the National Population Commission. Descriptive statistics were used to describe respondents’ socio- economic characteristics. The Gini coefficient and Lorenz curve were used to assess the market structure of the study area. Market profitability was determined by analysis of gross and net margin. Marketing margin was used to measure the difference in the price of fish products as it moved from producers to consumers. Marketing efficiency and operational efficiency were used to measure the efficiency of the fish marketing system. Multiple T he fisheries sub-sector of the Nigerian economy consists of artisanal, industrial and culture fisheries. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (2012) of Nigeria, fisheries contribute about 3.2 percent of the agriculture GDP. Employment opportunities in fisheries come from production, processing, preservation and transportation (Ali et al . 2008). Fisheries development depends on improved production and processing technology and an effective marketing system. Per capita fish consumption in Nigeria is high and the country offers the largest market for fisheries products in Africa. Fish supply in Nigeria is through capture fisheries, fish farming or by importation (Adewumi et al. 20 12). Large quantities of fish consumed in Nigeria are imported. To reverse this situation and improve fish production in the country, there is a need for the development of a marketing system that satisfies consumer demands with a minimum margin between producer and consumer prices. Marketing is the series of activities involved in directing flows of goods and services from producers to consumers. Production and marketing constitute a continuum and the absence of development in one retards progress in the other. There is limited information regarding, in general, fish marketing in Nigeria and, in particular, how specific aspects of the market — such as market concentration, market share, the nature of competition, and behavior of market participants — affects market performance. This information gap can be addressed by analyzing the economics of marketing, the market structure and conduct and performance of the fish market. The factors influencing the income of fish marketers in Ekiti State and the constraints of The Economics of Fish Marketing in Ekiti State, Nigeria O.O. Fapohunda, A.O. Adekunmi, A.O. Kolawole and O.F. Olaoye FIGURE 1. Map of Ekiti State, Nigeria, showing the ADP zones and study area. FIGURE 2. Lorenz curve of fish marketers in Ekiti State, Nigeria (red line). The blue line indicates the line of equality. There is limited information regarding fish marketing in Nigeria and, in particular, how market concentration, market share, the nature of competition, and behavior of market participants affects market performance.