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MARKETING OF PEPPER IN THE METROPOLITAN REGION OF LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA

The purpose of this study is to investigate the marketing of pepper in the metropolitan region of Lagos with specific focus on the modes and cost of transporting tomatoes to the market, factors affecting prices of pepper and on the ways in which effective distribution channels can be used to increase customer satisfaction in Lagos as a whole. The study used a contextualized and literature based research instrument to evaluate the marketing of pepper in the Lagos metropolitan region of Lagos. The sample data were derived from a questionnaire survey of 500 respondents drawn from a sample of 10 metropolitan markets in Lagos, Nigeria. Results obtained from the analysis using descriptive statistics and correlations indicated strong positive correlation between transportation cost and pepper prices in Lagos. Although transportation issue had been identified as basic to pepper distribution in the city, the problems were not essentially limited to mobility alone. The results also suggest that the factors affecting marketing of pepper in Lagos metropolis are diverse, and these include seasonality, perishability, unit price value, sales volume weight measure and existence of competitions. Feedback from the results of research work will assist to expand knowledge as to the marketing of pepper in the metropolitan region of Lagos, for example, contributing to the understanding of the problems confronting marketers in the distribution of pepper in an urban setting like Lagos and also provide critical suggestion on what has to be done to alleviate problems. It will be of value to government, farmers, producers, wholesalers, retailers, consumers as well as anyone interested in the marketing of pepper in developing setting like Lagos, Nigeria.