Effectiveness of warehouse receipt system in cashew nuts marketing in Mtwara region.
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Date
2010
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Sokoine University of Agriculture
Abstract
WRS, history of which started in Tanzania in 2000, was adopted in Mtwara region in 2007/08 cashew marketing season. There is a need to know its: key actors roles,
influence on distribution of benefits among them, impact on farmers’ participation in decision making, major achievements, challenges, effects on farm gate price and
cashew farmers’ responses to it. This study was intended to satisfy this need. Cross sectional research design was applied. Questionnaires were used to obtain information from 120 randomly sampled farmers whilst interview guides were employed to get data from purposively selected key informants. Documents provided
secondary data. SPSS version 12 aided data analysis. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used. Hence frequencies and percentages were determined and farmers’ costs and returns and average market share were computed. In this study actors were found to have: distinct roles such as coordination and warehousing.
Sulphur and its alternative usage were influenced by compulsory savings and government input subsidies. WRS had managed to: restore cashew nuts grading, reduce cash and crop losses, and improve cashew nuts marketing records. However, WRS was not used in other cashew areas in 2008/09. Constraints noted were; untimely, inadequate and inconsistent resources supply, violation of WRS and fair trade laws, many levies and political interferences. It is recommended that: WRS be
replicated in all cashew nuts growing areas, there should be adequate and consistent resources supply, WRS and fair trade laws must be enforced and cashew' kernel domestic market need special emphasis. Also, levies and taxes on cashew nuts should be reviewed, DIFs should be abolished, cashew nuts farmers must be represented in decision making organs, politics in cashew business should be ended and more related studies need to be encouraged.
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Keywords
cashew marketing, cashew farmers, farmers’ costs, cashew nuts, Mtwara