Exploring Market Opportunities for Smallholder Vegetable Growers the Case of Maynugus Irrigation Scheme, Tigray Regional State, Ethiopia

This study was initiated to explore market opportunities for smallholder vegetable growers of Maynugus irrigation scheme in Laelay Michew Woreda, Central Zone of Tigray Region. The objective of the study was, to describe market channel of vegetable producers, to analyze the determinants of vegetable quantity supply in the study area and identify the major constraints and opportunities of vegetable marketing system in the study area. The data was collected from smallholders using pre-tested interview schedule, and the researcher used checklists to gather information from officers of the community and traders. This was supplemented by secondary data collected from different published and unpublished sources. Multiple linear regression econometric model was employed to analyze the determinants of vegetable quantity supply after testing goodness of fit by link test and assumptions imposed on model by different methods. The result obtained from this analysis indicates that amount ofvegetable produce in and family active labor force were found to be the most important significant variables influencing positively whereas, distance to the nearest road was found significant variable influencing negatively vegetable marketable supply in the study area. The market channel description of the vegetable indicates a very short route. The main market participants of the vegetable marketing of the study area during the survey period were wholesalers and retailers. Besides, a significant amount of 31.4 per cent vegetable produced was channelled directly to consumers from producers. Major problems of the vegetable marketing identified and prioritized by vegetable producer smallholders in the study area were price instability, absence of marketing cooperatives, lack of market information, lack of storage, lack of extension, and lack of marketing contract arrangements. However, high demand of vegetable products, availability of the irrigation scheme, prolonged fasting period of Orthodox Christians and increase the price of substitute goods were the opportunities assessed by smallholder vegetable growers in the study area. Based on the study results, interventions demanded to raise marketable supply of vegetables produced are recommended.