THE APPLICATION OF THE MARKETING CONCEPT IN THE MARKETING OF AGRICULTURAL (POULTRY) PRODUCTS IN ABIA STATE (A CASE STUDY OF ELEGANCE POULTRY FARMERS COOPERATIVE SOCIETY ABA SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF ABIA STATE)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background Of The Study

It was become quite evident that agriculture has become the most important sector among numerous sectors of the economy in Nigeria.  as a result, all other sectors depend largely on agriculture for their success.  Agriculture is therefore defined as all the processes involved in the production of plant and animal product for man’s use.  It entails the cultivation of crops of reaving of domestic animals, harvesting those crops and reaving of domestic animals.  Processing as well as delivering them to the final users at the right time, place and at affordable price. From the above definition of agriculture one may rightly deduce that it include all the national gifts, which God freely endows us with.  They include land, trees, and all the raw materials gotten from land for the manufacturing of numerous agricultural products.  It also includes the industrial crops that serve as raw materials to agro – based industries.  Agriculture is basically divided into two major parts namely: crop production and animal production.  Crop production deals with the production of all classes of crops e.g carrels, legumes, roots, tubers, vegetables and fruits, while under animal production otherwise known as livestock production deals with the production of all kinds of domestic animals like poultry diary, fisheries etc. Infact, there are in existence numerous agricultural products.  We discover that most of the goods sold in most markets are agricultural goods.  Since agricultural products are vast, we are narrowing it to a sector, which will help us to limiting our scope of study so as to achieve a better result on the concept under study, which is the application of the marketing concept in the marketing of agricultural products.  When this is verified, we can now attribute it to the other agricultural products and know how they relate to the marketing concept.  In this vein, therefore the researcher is narrowing down the study to poultry production to see how the marketing concept is upheld and applied in the business.

As it has been established earlier on that agriculture is the most important sector of economy in Nigeria.  It is also evident that poultry husbandry has also become very common and even the people of Nigeria at large and specially Abia State. The need for agricultural marketing arises with production of excess and above consumption.  This portion that is marketed is known as the marketable surplus.  When such products are produced in abundance, the need to distribute them to people that will need them also arises.  This then calls for marketing, which involves the production, storage, processing, distribution and pricing of such products.The application of marketing concept in the marketing of agricultural (poultry) products is the scope of this research work.  The researcher wants to compare the practice in the poultry business with the recommend application of this marketing concept, which determines, the success of the business.

1.2     Statement Of The  Problem

It has been said earlier that poultry husbandry has become the most intensive sector in livestock farming as an example of agricultural products among Nigerians at large and precisely Abia State. Within any geographical set up, one may observe many poultry houses and huts put up by poultry farmers.  Most of these farmers have it as their fulltime business while some take it as a mere hubby.  It  provides the keeper with eggs for domestic use and possibly meat after the fowl might have dropped in laying eggs, within a space of time according to the type of fowls kept.

Going round our local market, it could be observed that poultry products like eggs and chickens (dressed and live) are being sold.  Some of these live fowls are carried in cages, which are sometimes dirty or rather nasty.  The fowls themselves are even dirty and sicky, yet people buy them.  Some of these fowls are sent back to the litter when other fowls not taken to the market are kept. Experience among various poultry farmers show that most of the times, due to the exposure of the fowl to such unsuitable condition and temperature of that market, one disease or the other is infesting them when these fowls are returned to the litter after a time the whole poultry house will be infested bringing about mortality to the fowls.  Consequently upon the aforementioned facts, the poultry farmer will be subjected to an extensive loss, which certainly will be a great draw back to him.  The irony of the whole matter is that these mort are sometimes are practiced by some farmers, dressed and kept in cold room and subsequently supplied to hotels, restaurants and some people who buy them for either their individual use or for hawking.  For the purpose of being fair.   It is evident that not all poultry farmers indulge in such unhealthy act. What about the eggs? Eggs are sold at random in the market and in the stores.  Eggs have expiring date.  But because of the nature of the place they are sold, some are still sold even after they are deemed to have gone bad some how.

The researcher feels that where there is an application of marketing concept in this aspect of poultry business as an example of agricultural products, such unwanted ventures cannot be practiced.  It is as a result of all these that the research problem is centered on identifying to what extent customers of poultry products are being put into consideration, such  that convenience and health are considered.  The problem is also to identify how best the fowls can be kept, managed and marketed having in mind the protection of the interest of customers, and the masses at large.  It will be important to note that this analysis to an extent is restricted to the experience of Elegance (Aba) Poultry Farmer’s Cooperative Society Ltd Aba South L.G.A Abia State.

1.3   Statement Of Purpose

The purpose of this research work is to critically review the extent the marketing concept, which is the basis of effective business, is applied in the marketing of poultry products (Agricultural Product) as it relates to Elegance (Aba) Poultry Farmers Cooperative Society Ltd Aba South L.G.A. Abia State. Since poultry business has become a common practice among cooperative societies, women, retrieved civil servants children also the professional farmers, it then becomes imperative to study how each is fairing in the business, putting the probable customers and neighbors into consideration.  It is sometimes mis-constructed that there is no body regulating the activities of poultry farmers in the area of sanitation, price setting and entire management of such venture.  However, the researcher is aware of the existence of poultry association of Nigeria (PAN), this is an association of all poultry industries in Nigeria.

For this course, it is the purpose of this research among the aforementioned facts to

1.        Find out the extent of standardization in the poultry business.

2.        Examine how the commercialization of this poultry agricultural products is in line with the marketing concept of which Elegance (Aba) Poultry Farmers’ Cooperative Society Ltd is a part.

3.        Make useful suggestions and recommendations necessary to up lift the importance of the application of marketing principles in the marketing of agricultural products in Abia State.

Enrich the research student with the knowledge of poultry keeping as a viable business venture.

1.4 Research Hypothesis

The following hypothetical statements will be tested in the course of this study

H01: Farmers are not marketing oriented rather than sales oriented

H02: Commercialization of poultry agricultural products is not in line with the marketing concept of which Elegance (Aba) Poultry Farmers’ Cooperative Society Ltd is a part.

1.5 Significance Of The Study

This study will be mostly useful to farmers and cooperative societies in Abia State and Nigeria at large. Most local farmers in Abia State are uneducated, hence do not have refined knowledge of marketing concept and the need to apply marketing concept in their businesses. As a result, this study will help enlighten them about marketing concept and its importance in business operation.

1.6 Scope Of The Study

 The study focuses on the application of the marketing concept in the marketing of agricultural (poultry) products in Abia State. However the study will be carried out and limited to Elegance (Aba) Poultry Farmer’s Cooperative Society Ltd Aba South L.G.A Abia State.

1.7 Limitation Of The Study

In the course of carrying out this study, the researcher experienced some constraints, which included time constraints, financial constraints, language barriers, and the attitude of the respondents.

In addition, there was the element of researcher bias. Here, the researcher possessed some biases that may have been reflected in the way the data was collected, the type of people interviewed or sampled, and how the data gathered was interpreted thereafter. The potential for all this to influence the findings and conclusions could not be downplayed. 

More so, the findings of this study are limited to the sample population in the study area, hence they may not be suitable for use in comparison to other schools, local governments, states, and other countries in the world.

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