Assessment of Banana Production and Marketing in Ethiopia

Abstract

The study was conducted to assess and identify the factors that influence the production and marketing performance of banana in Ethiopia. Multi-stage purposive and random sampling techniques were alternatively employed at different stages to collect the necessary primary data. Secondary data was also collected from written documents and focus group discussions (stakeholders) across the survey areas. The data for smallholder banana growers were collected from 3 major banana producing zones, 5 districts and 10 farmer villages. The data for large-scale commercial banana producers was collected from a wider part of the country covering 14 farms from 3 regional states. The marketing data encompassed almost all the major market outlets in Ethiopia. As such a total of 150 small-scale and 14 large-scale growers, 59 wholesalers/ripeners, 53 retailers and 53 consumers were interviewed using structured questionnaires. Comparative econometrics and descriptive results as well as multiple linear regression analysis using a Cobb-Douglass production function has been employed to determine and quantify the impact of the explanatory variables or factors affecting the yield performance of banana in the study areas.

Results indicate that different household and farm characteristics