AN ASSESSMENT OF PUBLIC RELATIONS STRATEGIES AMONG SOY CHEESE AND COW CHEESE MARKETERS

Public relations (PR) in agricultural marketing are often neglected, causing inefficiency and turnover. This research aimed to assess the market structure, evaluate the marketing efficiency, and determine the influence of PR strategies on soy and cow cheese marketing in Kwara State, Nigeria. Data were collected through structured interviews with 234 respondents, selected via a two-stage sampling technique. The analysis employed descriptive statistics, the Herfindahl index, marketing efficiency measurements, market margin calculations, and multiple regression analysis. The findings revealed that all respondents were female, with a mean age of 52 years. The soy and cow cheese marketers' Herfindahl Index values are 0.011 and 0.003, respectively. coupled with marketing margins of 39.24% and 33.48%, indicated that soy cheese marketing was more profitable than cow cheese marketing in the region. Furthermore, the level of education, number of customers per cycle, and PR strategies were significant variables influencing the marketing margin of soy cheese marketers. Conversely, monthly income, number of customers, and PR strategies were critical factors affecting the marketing margin of cow cheese marketers. Based on these results, the study recommends that the government should encourage, educate, and raise awareness among marketers on the effective utilization of PR strategies to enhance marketing margins. Furthermore, to support their operations, policies that aim to give marketers access to direct and indirect financing facilities should be promoted.