Abstract

<p>The study was conducted to analyze the determinants and extent of use of marketing functions among producer-marketers of cultured fish in Benue State, Nigeria. Respondents were selected using the multi-stage sampling technique where 300 hundred fish producer-marketers were used for the study. In order to collect data, structured questionnaire were administered to respondents. 299 of the questionnaire that were issued returned valid and data collected were analyzed with the use of multiple regression and descriptive statistical tools of mean and standard deviation. Findings shows that the coefficients of the independent variables of age, experience, membership of cooperative, contact with extension agent, start-up capital, technology application and market research training are significant at various levels. The coefficient of age was significant at 1% level and negatively related to marketing function adoption. The negative sign of the coefficient conforms to the a priori expectation, indicating that as age increases by 1year, fish marketing function used decreases by 0.011%, an indication that as the producer-marketer advances in age, energy and stamina gives way thereby affecting general productivity. The years of experience garnered by cultured fish producer-marketers had a coefficient of 0.024 and significant at 10% implying an increase in experience in cultured fish production and marketing will increase the tendency for marketing function use by 0.024%. Using the mean score of each of the marketing functions and standard deviation, the extent of adoption are either classified as important or not important from the responses received from the surveyed producer-marketers; hence where the mean score of any of the functions is ≥ 2, it is considered important while mean score of &lt; 2 is assumed not to be important. From the results obtained, branding, invoicing, handbills and payment for on and offloading have mean scores of &lt; 2 and hence are not viewed as important in their business operations by the producer-marketers surveyed; while other variables such as transportation, processing, sorting, grading, packaging, advertising with mean score of &gt; 2 are deemed important. The study shows that marketing functions determinants such as the age of respondents which determines the energy and agility of the producer-marketer as well as other variables of transportation, processing of harvested fish, grading and sorting are very important functions that boost production and sales of cultured fish. It is recommended that government and relevant stakeholders should come up with policies and other initiatives that will encourage young people embrace the business of fish cultivation while deploying modern techniques and strategies to ensure healthy competition and enhanced profitability.</p>