IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/oxf/wpaper/gprg-wps-068.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Agricultural Markets in Benin and Malawi

Author

Listed:
  • Marcel Fafchamps
  • Eleni Gabre-Madhin
  • IFPRI

Abstract

Based on original trader surveys, this paper examines how agricultural traders operate in Benin and Malawi. Results indicate that the largest transactions costs are search and transport. The use of modern technology is limited. Search methods rely principally on personal visits by the trader. Quality control requires the presence of the trader at the time of purchase. This raises costs as the trader has to travel a lot, and makes it difficult for trading enterprises to grow. Since enterprises remain very small, personal transport and search time represents a non-negligible share of marketing costs.

Suggested Citation

  • Marcel Fafchamps & Eleni Gabre-Madhin & IFPRI, 2007. "Agricultural Markets in Benin and Malawi," Economics Series Working Papers GPRG-WPS-068, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
  • Handle: RePEc:oxf:wpaper:gprg-wps-068
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    To our knowledge, this item is not available for download. To find whether it is available, there are three options:
    1. Check below whether another version of this item is available online.
    2. Check on the provider's web page whether it is in fact available.
    3. Perform a search for a similarly titled item that would be available.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Velenchik, Ann D., 1997. "Government intervention, efficiency wages, and the employer size wage effect in Zimbabwe," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(2), pages 305-338, August.
    2. Barrett, Christopher B., 1997. "Food marketing liberalization and trader entry: Evidence from Madagascar," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 763-777, May.
    3. Marcel Fafchampsm & Måns Söderbom, 2006. "Wages and Labor Management in African Manufacturing," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 41(2).
    4. Christopher Udry, 1994. "Risk and Insurance in a Rural Credit Market: An Empirical Investigation in Northern Nigeria," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 61(3), pages 495-526.
    5. Fafchamps, Marcel & Gabre-Madhin, Eleni & Minten, Bart, 2005. "Increasing returns and market efficiency in agricultural trade," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(2), pages 406-442, December.
    6. Marcel Fafchamps & Bart Minten, 1999. "Relationships and traders in Madagascar," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(6), pages 1-35.
    7. Marcel Fafchamps & Måns Söderbom, 2004. "Wages and Labor Management in African Manufacturing," Development and Comp Systems 0409043, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Kherallah, Mylène & Delgado, Christopher L. & Gabre-Madhin, Eleni Z. & Minot, Nicholas. & Johnson, Michael., 2000. "The road half traveled," Food policy reports 10, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
      • Kherallah, Mylène & Delgado, Christopher L. & Gabre-Madhin, Eleni Z. & Minot, Nicholas & Johnson, Michael, 2000. "The road half traveled," Issue briefs 2, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    9. Marcel Fafchamps, 2004. "Market Institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa: Theory and Evidence," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262062364, April.
    10. Arne Bigsten & Paul Collier & Stefan Dercon & Marcel Fafchamps & Bernard Gauthier & Jan Willem Gunning & Abena Oduro & Remco Oostendorp & Cathy Patillo & Måns Soderbom & Francis Teal & Albert Zeufack, 2000. "Contract flexibility and dispute resolution in African manufacturing," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(4), pages 1-37.
    11. Seppala, P, 1997. "Food Marketing Reconsidered. An Assessment of the Liberalization of Food Marketing in Sub-Saharan Africa," Research Paper 34, World Institute for Development Economics Research.
    12. Fafchamps, Marcel & Lund, Susan, 2003. "Risk-sharing networks in rural Philippines," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(2), pages 261-287, August.
    13. Marcel Fafchamps & Ruth Vargas Hill & Bart Minten, 2008. "Quality control in nonstaple food markets: evidence from India," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 38(3), pages 251-266, May.
    14. Steven Tadelis, 1999. "What's in a Name? Reputation as a Tradeable Asset," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 89(3), pages 548-563, June.
    15. Badiane, Ousmane & Shively, Gerald E., 1998. "Spatial integration, transport costs, and the response of local prices to policy changes in Ghana," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(2), pages 411-431, August.
    16. Greif, Avner, 1993. "Contract Enforceability and Economic Institutions in Early Trade: the Maghribi Traders' Coalition," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 83(3), pages 525-548, June.
    17. Crow, Ben & Murshid, K. A. S., 1994. "Economic returns to social power: Merchants' finance and interlinkage in the grain markets of Bangladesh," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 22(7), pages 1011-1030, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. David-Benz, Hélène & Andriandralambo, Norontsoa & Soanjara, Helgina & Chimirri, Chiara & Rahelizatovo, Noro & Rivolala, Bezaka, 2016. "Improving access to market information: a driver of change in marketing strategies for small producers?," 149th Seminar, October 27-28, 2016, Rennes, France 245073, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    2. Nkendah, Robert, 2013. "Estimating the informal cross-border trade of agricultural and horticultural commodities between cameroon and its CEMAC neighbours," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 133-144.
    3. Blume, Lawrence E. & Easley, David & Kleinberg, Jon & Tardos, Éva, 2009. "Trading networks with price-setting agents," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 67(1), pages 36-50, September.
    4. Robinson, Amanda Lea, 2016. "Internal Borders: Ethnic-Based Market Segmentation in Malawi," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 371-384.
    5. Okello, Julius J. & Kirui, Oliver K. & Gitonga, Zachary M. & Njiraini, Georgina W. & Nzuma, Jonathan M., 2014. "Determinants of Awareness and Use ICT-based Market Information Services in Developing-Country Agriculture: The Case of Smallholder Farmers in Kenya," Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture, Humboldt-Universitaat zu Berlin, vol. 53(3), pages 1-20, August.
    6. Smith A. R. Dossou & Jean Adanguidi & Augustin K. N. Aoudji & Rodrigue C. Gbedomon, 2022. "Promotion of beekeeping: Insights from an empirical analysis of three honey value chains in Benin," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 46(1), pages 39-59, February.
    7. Aoudji, Augustin K.N. & Adégbidi, Anselme & Agbo, Valentin & Atindogbé, Gilbert & Toyi, Mireille S.S. & Yêvidé, Armand S.I. & Ganglo, Jean C. & Lebailly, Philippe, 2012. "Functioning of farm-grown timber value chains: Lessons from the smallholder-produced teak (Tectona grandis L.f.) poles value chain in Southern Benin," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(C), pages 98-107.
    8. Julius Okello & Oliver Kirui & Georgina Njiraini & Zachary Gitonga, 2012. "Drivers of Use of Information and Communication Technologies by Farm Households: The Case of Smallholder Farmers in Kenya," Journal of Agricultural Science, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 4(2), pages 111-111, February.
    9. Tharakan, Joe & Lefèvre, Mélanie, 2011. "Intermediaries, transport costs and interlinked transactions," CEPR Discussion Papers 8615, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    10. Wainaina, Priscilla W. & Okello, Julius J. & Nzuma, Jonathan M., 2014. "Blessing or Evil? Contract Farming, Smallholder Poultry Production and Household Welfare in Kenya," Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture, Humboldt-Universitaat zu Berlin, vol. 53(4), pages 1-22, November.
    11. Kopp, Thomas & Bümmer, Bernhard, 2015. "Moving rubber to a better place - and extracting rents from credit constrained farmers along the way," EFForTS Discussion Paper Series 9, University of Goettingen, Collaborative Research Centre 990 "EFForTS, Ecological and Socioeconomic Functions of Tropical Lowland Rainforest Transformation Systems (Sumatra, Indonesia)".
    12. Tara Mitchell, 2016. "Quality Observability and the Structure of Agricultural Supply Chains," Trinity Economics Papers tep1316, Trinity College Dublin, Department of Economics.
    13. Andrew Dillon & Nicoló Tomaselli, 2024. "Making Markets: Experiments in Agricultural Input Market Formation," Working Papers - Economics wp2024_18.rdf, Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Scienze per l'Economia e l'Impresa.
    14. Issa, F.O. & Fapojuwo, O.E. & Bidoli, T.D., 2011. "Improving agricultural marketing efficiency through the commodity exchange system in Nigeria: a review," Nigerian Journal of Agricultural Economics, Nigerian Journal of Agricultural Economics, vol. 2(1).
    15. Bekele Shiferaw & Gideon Obare & Geoffrey Muricho, 2008. "Rural market imperfections and the role of institutions in collective action to improve markets for the poor," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 32(1), pages 25-38, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Fafchamps, Marcel & Gabre-Madhin, Eleni & Minten, Bart, 2005. "Increasing returns and market efficiency in agricultural trade," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(2), pages 406-442, December.
    2. Durlauf, Steven N. & Fafchamps, Marcel, 2005. "Social Capital," Handbook of Economic Growth, in: Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.), Handbook of Economic Growth, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 26, pages 1639-1699 Elsevier.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:oxf:wpaper:gprg-wps-068. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Anne Pouliquen (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/sfeixuk.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.