Sample Selection
In order to get a representative sample and to achieve
the objectives of the study, the sample design was based
on Imo state Agricultural Development Project’s (Imo
ADP’s) zoning of the state’s 27 local government areas
into 3 zones in consonance with ecological
characteristics and cultural practices. Purposive sampling
was adopted in selecting the local government areas and
the villages while random sampling was adopted to
collect information from the list of marketers involved in
palm oil marketing. The purposive sampling was adopted
for convenient sake since the error term will not be
estimated. The sampling frame was respondents who
moved more than 10 drum of palm oil in the state while
the sample design was a list of randomly selected
marketers. The questionnaire method was used to collect
information from the respondent augmented by personal
observation. Variables on which data were collected
included: respondent’s socio-economic characteristic,
profitability of palm oil enterprise, demand and supply
pattern of palm oil in the state. The study therefore
covered 3zones of the state, 9 local government area, 27
villages and 108 respondents.