American Research Journal of Agriculture

The research determined the structure and performance of cowpea marketing in Yola North and South Local Government Areas of Adamawa State, Nigeria. Primary data was used for the study which was generated using structured questionnaires that were administered on 75 respondents. The cost and returns of cowpea wholesaler revealed that, wholesale cowpea marketers were efficient as shown by the positive sign and magnitude of the gross margin and net incomes while, that of the retailers were lower than those of wholesalers. The results of the marketing margin indicates that wholesalers had lower margin than that of retailers, although the overall marketing margin which was computed to be about 11 percent was higher than that of wholesalers. Therefore, the research concluded that marketing of cowpea in the study area is profitable as determined by the positive sign and magnitude of the gross margin. However, a low marketing margin was obtained in the study, which is an indication of pricing efficiency by the marketers. Hence, market structure of wholesalers of cowpea in the study area was competitive, while that of retailers was not. The study therefore recommends that, Cowpea marketers should have easy access to affordable credit facilities so as to expand their marketing activities. Modem storage facilities and the use of airtight containers should be encouraged among marketers for sustainable cowpea storage so as to improve it shelf life.