Structure and performance of cassava markets: challenges of food security and connecting small farmers to markets in Cameroon

Abstract

Agrifood markets play a pivotal role in assuring national food security and improved welfare for smallholder farm families. However, the extent to which this is possible depends on the structure and performance of these markets. This study utilizes primary data collected from 326 cassava marketers operating in 15 markets to examine the structure and performance of the cassava market in Cameroon. We employ parametric and non-parametric techniques to determine the degree of market concentration and marketing performance of these cassava marketers. Our findings highlight a high market concentration with a Gini coefficient (GC) of 0.76 and 0.79 for wholesalers and retailers, respectively. This indicates that the cassava market is probably oligopolistic in structure. In addition, we reveal that average marketing efficiency is 14.20% and 87% for retailers and wholesalers, respectively. This indicates that retailers are relatively inefficient as compared to wholesalers. Furthermore, we observed that prices are set up in the markets according to the place of sale and the type of marketers. However, prices are influenced by factors such as transport, the quantity sold in on-spot markets, and the need for liquidity. In general, our results highlight that the region, type of marketer (wholesaler or retailer), and socio-economic factors account significantly for the variation of odds to participate in markets. Hence, to influence the dynamics of price on the consumers, it might be necessary to promulgate policies that could improve retailers' efficiency. This might be through the restructuring of retailers into cooperatives and associations which may permit retailers to access other critical resources.