Analysis of Paddy Rice Marketing in Northern Zone of Bauchi State

The study analyzed the marketing of paddy rice in Northern Zone of Bauchi State, Nigeria. Data were collected from one hundred and thirteen (113) randomly selected paddy rice marketers with the aid of structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics, farm budgeting technique and regression analysis. The results revealed that most (91.2 %) of the paddy rice marketers were male and majority (71.70 %) were in their middle and productive age between 21 ¿ 40 years. The gross margin per average of 100 kg bag was N 1,126.20, while the marketing efficiency was 13.5 %. This implies that marketing of paddy rice was profitable in the study area. Results of the regression analysis revealed that acquisition, transportation and handling cost were directly related to the gross revenue and significant (p < 0.001), (p<0.05) and (p<0.05) respectively. The F ¿ value was 40.079 while the coefficient of determination (R2) was 65.20 %, implying acquisition, transportation and handling cost contributes 65.20 % to the gross revenue of paddy rice marketing included in the model. Paddy rice marketing is a profitable venture in the study area.