ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF FROZEN FISH RETAIL MARKETING

ABSTRACT

This study examined the profitability of frozen fish retail marketing in Oredo local government area of Edo state both in general and in its various forms (Sedentary and itinerant). It also examined the constraints faced by Frozen fish retailers in the study area. Multistage and random sampling techniques were used to select 100 respondents from whom primary data was collected using a well-structured questionnaire. The data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings showed that retail marketing of fish was carried out by females who were in the economically active age group of 36-45 years and are mostly married. Majority of the frozen fish retailers (56.3%), had stores where they sell their fish. 41.7% hawked their wares along the streets and markets. A majority of the retailers had a basic formal education of up to secondary school level. According to the results from the gross margin analysis and t-test, retail marketing of frozen fish is profitable in the area. However, it was recommended that major constraints such as insufficient capital, high cost of fish from wholesalers, low purchasing power of the buyer, high cost of transportation and erratic power supply should be tackled to improve the efficiency of frozen fish retail marketing in the study area.