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This study examined market inequality and performance of gari marketing in Ondo State, Nigeria using primary data.
The data were sourced using a well-structured questionnaire and Focus Group Discussion sessions. A multistage
sampling technique was employed to randomly select 100 respondents at the final stage in the study area. The data
were analysed using descriptive statistics, gross margin, gini coefficient and multiple regression model. The results
showed that women dominated the enterprise with 84% and most (80%) of them were still in their active and
productive age. Many of them were married with average of about 5 persons per household and over 88% of them had
at least primary school education. The most frequent category of year of experience was between 6 and 10 years
(40%), while personal savings (65%) was their most common source of capital. The result of gross margin analysis
showed that gari business was a profitable venture given the value of gross margin to be N5, 352.10 per trip. The value
of gini-coefficient (0.649) indicated a high inequality among the marketers while the results of regression revealed
that marketers' experience, distance to market, cost of storage, acquisition cost and education were the main factors
statistically determining the revenue of the gari marketers in the study area. It is therefore recommended that
government should make gari business conducive by providing adequate infrastructure that could encourage more
young people as a way of combating the scourge of unemployment ravaging the country.
Key words: Gari, Marketers, Profitability, Gini Coefficient, Multiple Regression