Assessing the functionality of the citrus marketing channel :

Abstract

The study was conducted in Oculoi sub county Dakabela County in Soroti district, to assess the functionality of the citrus marketing channel among smallholder farmers. The main objective of the study was to assess functionality of the citrus marketing channel in Oculoi sub county Dakabela county Soroti district and the specific objectives were to determine the socioeconomic factors that influence marketing channel choice, farmers’ perceptions of marketing channel as well as to determine the gross profit margins. Data were collected through questionnaires to 100 smallholder citrus farmers. The study used a multiple linear regression to determine the socioeconomic factors that influence marketing channel choice, descriptive statistics for perceptions and gross profit margin analysis. The study found that marital status, primary source of income, marketing costs and market distance were significant while in contrast other factors like age, gender, education, household size and farming experience were not significant. The findings on citrus farmers’ perceptions of marketing channels revealed significant differences in their experiences. Farmers generally perceived wholesalers as the best followed by middlemen, retailers, exporters, institutional buyers, direct to consumers and processing companies scored lowest respectively. A substantial majority of farmers fall into the high gross profit category, indicating a strong potential for profitability among this group. However, the presence of farmers in the moderate category and a small number in the low and negligible categories highlights a marked disparity in financial outcomes. The study recommended enhanced extension education programs especially on marketing and encouraged farmers to strengthen cooperative marketing structures to improve on their bargaining power as well as sharing production costs.