FACTORS INFLUENCING PROFITABILITY OF MARKETING MALL RUMINANTS IN KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study examined factors influencing profitability of marketing small ruminants in Kwara state, Nigeria. One hundred and sixty-nine respondents were randomly selected within the states and data were collected with the aid of a well-structured questionnaire.  The results from the study showed that majority (77.51%) of the respondents were male while females constituted (22.49%). The results also revealed that substantial proportion (40.24%) of the respondents were within the age brackets of 51–60 years with a mean age of 49 years. Household size averaged five members, with 70.41% of respondents having 4–6 persons per household. Educational attainment was moderately high, with 45.56% having secondary education. substantial proportion (44.97%) of the respondents had over 15 years of marketing experience. Age (p<0.05), household size (p<0.05), role in the market (p<0.05), use of social media (p<0.05), distance to market (p<0.01), and access to veterinary services (p<0.05) were factors that significantly influenced profitability of small ruminants. Opportunities for growth were driven by youth involvement (4.50), availability of veterinary extension services (3.86), increasing demand (3.70), and digital marketing platforms (3.50), while challenges such as high transportation costs (3.95), animal theft/insecurity (3.87), high feed costs (3.80), seasonal supply fluctuations (3.61), and price volatility constrained market profitability (3.57). Overall, the findings recommend that operational constraints be addressed while existing opportunities should be effectively leveraged to improve profitability. Policy interventions targeting infrastructure development, security, access to credit, and market information would enhance the profitability of small ruminant marketing in the study area.