Assessment of the Marketing System for Fish Origina Ted from Lake Tana , Ethiopia
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Date
2011-05
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Addis Ababa Universty
Abstract
The primary purpose of this research study was to assess marketing system for the fi sh originated
from Lake Tana. Additionall y, efforts have been made to describe the root causes of the
problems facing va rious actors (Fishermen, distributors/retailers and consumers) in the fi sh
marketing system, from production to marketing stage. In order to accomplish research
objectives, two areas i.e. Lake Tana and Addis Ababa were considered, from production and
marketing/selling perspectives, and looking after the operations performed by the three (above
mentioned) actors of the fi sh marketing system. Therefore, data were collected from the
fi shermen in Lake Tana, retailers (bringing the fi sh from the production area to the market), and
consumers in the terminal market (Addis Ababa) specifically, Piazza, Bole and Merkato, being
considered for the purpose of the study, in order to assess the performance of the system and by
describing the practices and problems across the fi sh marketing system from the point of
production ti ll consumption. A total of 225 respondents, constituting producers (31), retailers
(56) and consumers (13 8) were se lected, by using cluster and convenient sampling techniques, to
take part in the study. For the purpose of primary data collection, two self administered
questionnaires were designed and distributed to the respondent retailers and consumers;
however, the researcher administered another category of questionnaire developed for fi sh
producers from the Lake Tana, by himself, as many of the participants were illiterate. The
reported instruments were prepared both in English and the local language (Amharic), to be
fill ed by the respondents in the language preferable to them. Once the data collection stage was
over, collected responses were organized in the form of tables and graphs, by using percentage,
average scores, standard deviations, and Chi-square analysis. Though, the interview data were
interpreted into meaningful facts, highlighting the problems associated with poor performance of
exchange and phys ical functions by the producers and retailers, lack of cooperation among
fi shermen, and no access to timely information about the demand and price of fish in the market,
on the paJ1 of fi shermen from Lake Tana. Altogether, these factors appeared to be making the
fish originated from Lake Tana inferior in quality, expensive in comparison to the fi sh from other
lakes, and unfair prices obtained by the producers.
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Keywords
Marketing Management