Gender factor in the structure and conduct of the cocoa industry in Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined gender differentiation of tasks and responsibilities and evaluated the level of success and/ or failure among men and women in cocoa marketing in the study area using primary and secondary data collection.The study revealed that there was gender discrimination against women in access to credit due to their inability to provide collateral security. It was also found that the major marketing problems faced by cocoa marketers included those of pricing, finance, transportation, activities of fraudsters and high cost of marketing. The study also revealed that the structure of the industry did not seem to have contributed to the observed barriers to entry features. The problems preventing new entrants into the industry within the past few years included those of transportation, unstable price (unforeseen fall in Cocoa prices), access to loan or problems created by banks by charging what was considered to be too high bank interest rates on loan. These are without prejudice to their volume of trading.The study concluded that female cocoa marketers in Ondo State possessed tremendous ability to succeed in the business if only their opportunities to credit facilities and capital could be enhanced.