Marketing of Horticultural Products – SS1 Horticulture and Crop Production Lesson Note (Second Term)

Marketing in horticulture is everything done to get fruits, vegetables and flowers from the farm to the final consumer, and it begins before a seed is planted.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. explain what marketing means in horticulture;
2. describe the three common marketing channels in Nigeria;
3. state the factors that affect the price of horticultural products;
4. list the challenges of marketing horticultural products in Nigeria;
5. suggest ways a farmer can succeed in marketing.

What is marketing in horticulture?

Horticultural marketing is all the activities that move horticultural products from the producer to the consumer.

• More than selling: it starts with planning what to grow and for whom, before planting.
• Products involved: fruits (orange, mango), vegetables (pepper, tomato, ugwu) and flowers (roses).
• Main difficulty: these products are perishable, so they are harder to market than maize or cocoa.

Why are horticultural products perishable?

Perishable products are goods that spoil quickly if they are not sold, stored or processed in time.

• High water content: fresh tomatoes, pepper and leafy vegetables rot fast.
• Soft tissues: they bruise easily during loading and transport.
• Short shelf life: many spoil within a day or a few days after harvest.
• Dry grains and cocoa: these can be dried and stored for months, so they are easier to market.

Why is marketing important?

Marketing turns farm produce into income and gets food to people who need it.

• It brings in money: without sales, the work on the farm earns nothing.
• It connects people: it brings oranges from a village in Benue to a student in Lagos.
• It reduces waste: goods that move quickly do not rot.
• It guides production: farmers learn which crops buyers want.

What are the functions of marketing?

Marketing functions are the jobs done between harvest and sale.

• Grading: sorting produce by size, ripeness and quality.
• Packaging: putting produce in baskets or crates to protect it.
• Transportation: moving produce from farm to market.
• Storage: keeping produce fresh until it is sold.
• Processing: changing produce into longer-lasting forms, such as tomato paste.
• Selling and buying: agreeing a price and exchanging goods for money.

What are the marketing channels?

A marketing channel is the path produce follows from the farmer to the consumer, and there are three common channels in Nigeria: direct, market and long.

1. The direct channel

• Path: Producer → Consumer.
• How it works: the farmer sells straight to a neighbour or a passer-by.
• Example: a woman selling ugwu from her backyard garden to neighbours.

2. The market channel

• Path: Producer → Retailer → Consumer.
• How it works: the farmer sells to market women (retailers), who sell small portions to the public.

3. The long channel

• Path: Producer → Wholesaler → Retailer → Consumer.
• How it works: the farmer sells a whole truckload to a wholesaler (middleman).
• Example: a wholesaler drives a truckload of watermelons to a big city market and sells to smaller traders.

How do the three channels compare?

What factors affect the price of horticultural products?

The price of horticultural products depends on four main factors: cost of production, supply and demand, quality and grade, and transport cost.

1. Cost of production

• Rule: the price must cover the costs and leave a profit.
• Costs include: seeds, fertiliser, irrigation and labour.
• Effect: high costs lead to a higher price.

2. Supply and demand

• In season (glut): many farmers harvest mangoes together, supply is high and the price drops.
• Out of season (scarcity): mangoes are hard to find, supply is low and the price rises.

3. Quality and grade

• High grade: big, clean, shiny peppers sell at a higher price.
• Low grade: small, bruised peppers sell at a lower price.

4. Transport cost

• Fuel price: when fuel costs more, moving tomatoes from farm to city costs more.
• Effect: city buyers pay a higher price.

What are the challenges of marketing horticultural products in Nigeria?

The main challenges are bad roads, lack of cold storage, the middleman problem and poor packaging.

• Bad roads: a truck of tomatoes stuck in the mud for two days may lose half its load to rot.
• Lack of cold storage: there are too few cold rooms at parks and markets, so unsold goods spoil by the next day.
• The middleman problem: some buyers pay farmers very little, then sell at a high price in the city, so the farmer earns less than the trader.
• Poor packaging: rough bags instead of plastic crates crush fruits during transport.
• Seasonal gluts: too much produce at harvest time pushes prices down.
• Little market information: farmers may not know current prices before they travel.

How can a farmer succeed in marketing?

A farmer succeeds in marketing by working in groups, adding value, getting price information and selling directly.

• Group marketing (cooperatives): small farmers join to hire one truck, so transport costs less for each person.
• Processing (adding value): unsold tomatoes can be dried and ground into powder or made into paste, which lasts for months.
• Market information: call contacts in the city to learn the current price before harvest.
• Direct supply: use the internet and social media to find customers and deliver fresh salad boxes to offices and homes, which removes middlemen.
• Grading and packaging: sort produce and use plastic crates to reduce damage and earn a better price.

What are the key marketing terms?

Evaluation

1. What is marketing in horticulture?
2. Why is marketing horticultural products harder than marketing maize or cocoa?
3. Write out the three marketing channels, using arrows to show the path from producer to consumer.
4. State four factors that affect the price of horticultural products.
5. Mention three challenges of marketing horticultural products in Nigeria.

Assignment

In your notebook, answer these three parts in full sentences:

1. Explain how a group of small farmers can make transportation cheaper.
2. Explain how processing tomatoes helps a farmer who cannot sell all the fresh ones.
3. Explain why the price of mangoes drops in season and rises out of season.