HENRY GARRETT’S RANKING ANALYSIS OF THE CONSTRAINTS TO YAM MARKETING IN NON-PRODUCING REGION: A CASE STUDY OF BAUCHI STATE, NIGERIA

The study analysed Henry Garrett’s ranking of the constraints to Yam marketing in non-producing region of Bauchi State, Nigeria. Primary data were collected using structured questionnaire from 280 yam marketers, including 120 wholesalers and 160 retailers across five Local Government Areas. The demographic analysis showed that majority (67.5%) of the retailers and wholesalers (53.3%) were under 40 years old. Educational attainment of the retailers and the wholesalers varied, with many having First School Leaving Certificates (38.1% and 41.7%) and fewer having secondary (27.5% and 24.2%) or tertiary education (18.6% and 25.8%). Marketing experience differed, with most (76.9%) retailers having 1-10 years and most (70.8%) wholesalers having 11-20 years of experience. Garrett’s ranking analysis revealed that the top constraint for retailers was inadequate marketing capital (78.02), followed by poor market infrastructure (65.64), storage issues (59.88), poor patronage (58.15), and seasonality (54.46). Other notable constraints included insecurity (41.11), high transportation costs (37.21), theft (33.18), and lack of uniformity (25.87). For wholesalers, high transportation costs (78.61) were the primary concern, followed by inadequate marketing capital (66.68), insecurity (61.58), poor market infrastructure (57.53), seasonality (47.69), and storage issues (47.68). The findings indicate that while some constraints are common to both retailers and wholesalers, their priorities differ. To improve yam marketing efficiency in Bauchi State, targeted interventions are needed. The study recommends implementing financial support programs to provide adequate marketing capital and developing better market facilities to address these constraints effectively.