(a) Explain the term “marketing.” (b) State five importance of marketing in agriculture. (c) Mention five marketing functions. (d) In which four ways can the marketing of agricultural produce be encouraged?
Explanation
(a) Marketing is the exchange of agricultural produce and money between the consumer and the farmer. It includes all the processes involved in the transfer of produce from the farmer to the ultimate consumer.
(b) The importance of marketing in Agriculture are: (i) Marketing locates areas of surplus production and relocates the produce to areas of shortages. (ii) It provides income from export trade and also provides foreign exchange for import of agricultural machines. (iii) It provides information to the farmer on what and how much of a produce he is to produce. (iv) Marketing ensures the availability of seasonal produce at off season. (v) It creates employment. (vi) It attracts basic amenities to rural communities. (vii) Through it, consumers' taste is known, thus enabling researchers to evolve varieties and better forms of produce.(viii) It encourages or motivates farmers to produce more.
(c) The functions of marketing can be enumerated as follows: (i) Assembling, (ii) processing, (hi) financing; (iv) transportation, (v) distribution, (vi) storage, (vii) grading and standardization, (viii) packaging, (ix) advertising. (d) Marketing may be encouraged through the provision of: (i) good roads (ii) capital or finance; (iii) standard units of measurement, (iv) adequate market infrastructure (v) storage facilites. (vi) market research (vii) good government policies