English abstract
The objective of this thesis is to evaluate the performance of the fruits and vegetables marketing system in Oman using a structure-conduct-performance (SCP) approach, and focusing on Muscat and Al Batinah Area. The SCP approach suggests that the performance of an economic system is determined by both structure of the system and the conduct of the agents operating in that system. Through a questionnaire designed for 200 farmers and retailers, the various marketing channels are identified, highlighting the role of the non Omani retailers in the marketing system. The farm-retail margin and the profitability of the retailing activities are used as a performance criterion. The analysis of variance procedure is used to compare prices and margins and test for possible integration between various markets in the study area.
Results show that the share for farmers in the final consumer price is less than 50 percent for most fruits and vegetables in the different wilayats included in the study, suggesting that the margins captured by middlemen are quite high in view of the little added value in marketing local fruits and vegetables in Oman. These results are confirmed by a profitability analysis in three main markets in the Muscat area, where net income is found to be "above normal" compared to the income of an average unskilled laborer in Oman. Large variations in marketing margins and price are also observed among wilayats and found to be statistically significant, reflecting the lack of integration between markets, and that there is a scope to improve the performance of the marketing system.
It is recommended that farmers bargaining position, and hence their net margins, could be enhanced by establishing market information services that help farmers plan and market their production, and by increasing the number of wholesale markets equipped with cold store facilities in different Wilayats.
