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Scholars
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African Journal of Agricultural Marketing ISSN 2375-1061 Vol. 8 (2), pp. 001-007, February, 2020. Available online at 
www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals 

 

Author(s)                                           Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. 
 
 
 
 

Full Length Research Paper 

 

Non-timber forest products’ marketing in Nigeria. A 
case study of Osun state 

 
Aiyeloja, Adedapo Ayo1* and Ajewole, Opeyemi Isaac2

  
1

Department of Forestry and Wildlife, University of Port Harcourt. Nigeria. 
2
Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, University Of Ado Ekiti, Nigeria. 

 
Accepted 10 October, 2019 

 
Research on markets and marketing of some non-timber forest products (NTFPs) was carried out in 
selected locations of Osun State. The NTFPs considered are chewing sticks such as Massularia 
acuminata and bush meat like Thryonomys swinderianus, representing both the flora and fauna aspects 
of NTFPs, respectively. Five Local Government Areas were randomly selected, namely; Odo-otin, 
Boripe, Iwo, Irewole and Atakunmosa for the research purpose. A total of 300 questionnaires were 
administered, 150 questionnaires for each of the NTFPs. Each NTFPs was further subdivided to 
production, marketing and usage or consumption with 50 questionnaires for each unit. It was gathered 
from the result that M. acuminata tops the list of the well favoured chewing sticks. Other types of 
chewing sticks that rank high include fagara ( Zanthophylum zanthoxonoides) and Ira (Rauwolfia 
vomitora). Bush meat is also cherished by people most especially in urban centres where it is regarded 
as a delicacy. Despite the preference of bush meat, the rate of consumption is still low relative to other 
animal protein sources. Apart from these two NTFPs, several others of economic, nutritional and 
medicinal importance exist. A list of some of them is made with their uses. NTFPs are grossly affected 
by seasonal changes and this in turns affect their availability and prices. In all, considering NTFPs in 
the light of economic gain alone will be parochial even though analysis for the marketing of the two 
NTFPs shows that they are viable business ventures. The values should extend beyond the economic 
gain to other values which are indispensable to the existence of man. A major but neglected aspect is 
the medicinal aspect of NTFPs. 

 
Key words: Forest products, NTFP, marketing, Nigeria. 

 
 
INTRODUCTION 

 
The use of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) is as old 
as human existence. In subsistence and rural economies 
the role and contributions of NTFPs in the daily life and 
welfare of people all over the world are crucial because of 
their richness of variety, as sources of food for example  
 

 

 
*Corresponding authors E-mail: aiyeloja@yahoo.com. 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
fruits, nuts, honey, insects, animals etc. fodder, fibre, 
fertilizers, medicinal extracts, construction materials, 
cosmetic and cultural products, natural dyes, tannin, 
gums, resins, latex and other exudates, essential oils, 
spices, edible oils, decorative articles, horns, tusks, 
bones, pelts, plumes, hides and skins, non-wood ligno-
cellulosic products, phytochemicals and aroma chemi-
cals.  

These products are derived from a variety of sources - 

plants (palms, grasses, herbs, shrubs, trees) and animals 

(insects, birds, reptiles, large animals) and other non- 

file:///C:\Users\user\Documents\REPUBLICATION\AGRICULTURAL%20SCIENCES\AppData\Local\Temp\www.internationalscholarsjournals.org


 
 
 

 

living components of the ecosystem. Different parts of a 
plant or animal often provide different products simulta-
neously and or at different times.  

About 80% of the population of the developing world 
depends on NTFP for their primary health and nutritional 
needs (FAO, 1995). It is therefore paradoxical that in 
spite of their real and potential value, most NTFPs remain 
grouped as minor products of forests. These products 
rarely feature in statistics and are hardly studied or 
researched.  

Forest management in Nigeria and in Osun State in 
particular has been largely focused on timber production 
ever since the beginning of organized forestry. However, 
in the recent time, there has been increasing recognition 
of the fact that this approach to forest management is 
neither conducive to sustainable management of the 
forests particularly of the tropical moist forest nor is it in 
the best economic interest of the predominantly rural 
societies in the tropics.  

The term non-timber forest product preferably called 
non-wood forest products in some regions of the world 
has been used (of recent) to replace minor forest product 
as it was formerly particularized. The regional expert 
consultation on NWFP for Africa held in Arusha Tanzania, 
1993, defined NTFP as all vegetal and faunal products 
(other than wood) derived from forests and other wooded 
land and trees outside the forests, excluding industrial 
round wood, wood used for energy, horticultural and 
livestock products.  

Rijsoort (2000) defined NTFPs as all tropical forest 
products plants and animals or parts thereof) other than 
industrial timber, which are (or can be) harvested for 
human use at the level of self-support or for commercial 
purposes.  

Gone are the days when NTFPS were exclusively free 
of charge for anybody that could go into the forest to 
harness them. Due to the relative scarcity of most of the 
NTFPS now as a result of deforestation, as noted by 
Nwoboshi (1986) and the present awareness of their 
importance, more value is being added which has made 
them (NTFPS) highly marketable. Osemeobo (1991) 
noted that rural women were found to be making between 
N115 and N500 in fruit gathering and sale. The low 
income may not be unconnected with the fact that NTFP 
markets have been in the middle of a drastic evolution. 
Traditional markets for many products have been lost to 
competing synthetic materials while new markets are 
emerging especially with the growing interest in natural 
products.  

Marketing of NTFPS connotes marketing in all its 
possible variations since NTFPS comprise a variety of 
products that satisfy the needs and wants of all kind of 
end-users. Some of the products are bought by final 
consumers without any major processing (e.g. fruits, 
berries, mushrooms etc) others are bought by industrial 

  
 
 
 

 

customers who use them as raw materials in making 
either other industrial products (e.g. converting essential 
oils to fragrances) or consumer products.  

Despite the fact that both the rural and urban 
economies are highly depended on NTFPS such as 
leaves, fruits, fuel wood, mushrooms and others to 
generate income and to provide food and medicare, little 
or no attention is given to this important natural, 
renewable revenue earner. 

 
METHODOLOGY 
 
Information about Osun State 
 

Nigeria covers an area of about 983,213km
2
 and about 1/3 is 

classified as forest (Ogunlade, 1993) while Osun State covers a 

total area of approximately 8,602km
2
 and is bounded in the south 

by Ogun State, in the north by Kwara State, in the west by Oyo 
State and in the east by Ondo State. Agriculture is the traditional 
occupation of the people of Osun State. The tropical nature of the 
climate favours the growth of a variety of food and cash crops. The 
main cash crops include cocoa, palm produce, kola, while food 
crops include yam, maize, cassava, millet, rice and plantain.  

The vegetation consists of high forest and derived savanna 
towards the north. The high forest often called tropical rainforest 
areas are dominated by forest tree species such as Melicia excelsa, 
Terminalia ivorensis, Terminalia superba, Khaya grandifoliola, 
Nauclea diderichii, Lophira alata Lovoa trichiliodes, Trema 
guinensis, Musanga cercrepiodes, Sterculia tragacantha and Ceiba 
pentandra among others. Savanna tree species include Annona 
senegalenses, Bridelia ferrugina, Casia sieberiana, Khaya 
senegalensis, Nauclea latifolia, Prosopis africana, Vitaleria parado-
xum, Parkia biglobossa, Terminalia glaucean and Daniella oliveri. 
These trees and other living components of the area have been 
disturbed by annual forest fires and other human activities.  

A sizeable part of the old Oyo forest reserve are located in the 
present Osun State. These include Ago Owu Forest Reserve with 
32,116 hectares in the high forest area, Oba Hills Forest Reserve 
with 3,367 ha each in both the high forest and derived savanna Ila 
reserve has 259 ha in the high forest area Ife NA, Oni and 
Ikeji/Ipetu have 8,598;5,283; and, 3,548 ha, respectively, in the high 
forest area. The grand total of Osun State Forest Reserve is 
58,839.32 ha comprising of 53,172.40 ha in the high forest and 
5,666.92 ha in the savanna. Osun state is located between 

longitude 040
0
33

1
E and latitude 07

0
28

1
N. Usually the wet season 

last between March and October, while the dry season comes 
between November and February. Mean annual rainfall is between 

2,000 and 2,200 mm. Maximum temperature at 32.5
o
C, Relative 

Humidity 79.90%. 

 

Sampling technique and sample size 
 
The random sampling technique was used to select two Local 
Government Areas from the derived savanna vegetation (Boripe 
and Odo-Otin) and three local government areas from the tropical 
rain forest of Osun State (Iwo, Irewole and Atakunmosa West). The 
same technique was used to select two towns/villages from each of 
the five local government areas.  

A total of 300 questionnaires were administered. 150 question-
naires were assigned to each product, making 30 questionnaires for 

each local government areas on each product. The number of 
questionnaires for each local government area was 60. 



         

  Table 1. Level of income of respondents from the field survey.     
           

  Income / Month N Odo-Otin Boripe Iwo Irewole Atakunmosa Total % 

  < 10000  1 1 4  2 10 20 

  10000-20000  6 5 2 2 6 24 48 

  >20000-40000  3 3 3 5 2 13 26 

  >40000-60000  - 1 1 1 - 3 6 

  Above 60000 - - - - - - - 

  Total 10 10 10 10 10 50 100 
 

Source: Field Survey 
 

 
Table 2. Educational background respondents (consumers). 

 

Educational Background Odo-Otin Boripe Iwo Irewole Atakunmosa Total % 

Informal 2 2 1 1 2 08 16 

Primary 2 2 2 3 2 11 22 

Secondary 3 1 5 1 4 14 28 

OND/NCE/HND 2 4 1 4 2 13 26 

Degrees 1 1 1 1 - 04 08 

Total 10 10 10 10 10 50 100 
 

Source: Field Survey 
 

 

Statistical analyses 
 
The information gathered are represented in the form of tables. Chi  
- square was used to test whether the quantity of bush meat 
purchased is affected by the educational background or the level of 
income of the consumers. It was also used to test whether the 
quantity of chewing stick purchased is dependent on the 
educational background or level of income of the consumers. 

 

 

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 

 

It was observed that the consumption of chewing stick is 
not a function of income level or educational background 
of the respondents (P<0.05), neither is it a function of sex 
nor marital status (Table 1 and 2).  

Most of the respondents use chewing stick on daily 
basis most especially the "Ijebu" type Massularia acumi-
nata other species include Ata, (fagara) Idi (Terminalia 
gleucescens) and Ewuro (Vernonia amygda- lina). Substi-
tutes of chewing stick include all varieties of tooth-pastes 
whose price difference from chewing stick range between 
N30 and N100 depending on type. While many prefer 
chewing stick because it is cheap, few others believe it 
makes teeth sharper and stronger. Those who prefer 
toothpaste hinge their reason on the fact that the use of 
chewing stick takes time and may damage the gum. 
Chewing stick retailers are usually petty traders and 
school children who are often seen at motor parks as 

 
 

 

early as 5 a.m. in the morning and late in the night. These 
are the periods they claim to make their highest sales. 
Chewing stick is also obtainable in stores and 
supermarkets. Of recent, chewing stick is being wrapped 
and sealed decently in cellophane in Supermarkets to 
make it more hygienic. While wholesalers buy in bulk, the 
splitting is done before selling to the retailers who sell to 
consumers in bunches of, N10, N20 or N50. Just like 
some other forest products, chewing stick is more 
abundant during the wet season. Problems facing the 
marketing of chewing stick include transportation, capital 
and storage of stick to prevent it from excessive dryness.  

Bushmeat is a delicacy which is cherished by most 
people. The dwindling nature of supply underscores the 
effect of human pressure on their abundance. 98% of the 
respondents prefer bushmeat to other meat though 
almost half of them (48%) consume bushmeat occa-
sionally. Market survey reveals that bush meat is sold in 
parts to cater for low income earners who are interested 
in bushmeat. Most of the respondents buy quantities 
ranging from N1000 to N2000. Only few buy more than 
N5000 in a month. As low as N200 worth be bought in a 
restaurants. This is the reason why there is no significant 
difference in the demand of bushmeat based on the level 
of income (P<0.05). This is because the quantity 
demanded varies from one respondent to the other.  

Bushmeat marketing is a worthwhile business. Over 

60% of the marketers are supplied game on a daily basis. 



  
 
 

 
Table 3. Shows the average prices for the sales of games as follows. 

 

Animal Adult ( N ) Sub adult ( N ) Young ones ( N ) 

Grass Cutter 1,800  1,100   600   

Antelope 2,100  1,300   700   

Snake (depending on species) 1,200  500   350   

Squirrel 300   160   100   

Monkey 1,300  800   300   

Snail 120   70   40   

Porcupine 2,500  1200   500   

Crocodile 5,000  3,500   2,000   
            
Source: Field Survey 

 
 
 
 

The number bought by each respondent ranges from 1 to 
3 for big animals while smaller animals like snail may be 
more than 10. Since most of the games are processed 
before sales, and the possibility of game getting spoilt is 
removed. It is also noted that processing adds more 
value to games. Table 3 shows the average prices for the 
sale of different types of bushmeat.  

Some people abhor snake and monkey due to 
traditional and religious beliefs. Crocodile is not common. 
Middlemen activities are minimal and a difference of 
N500 to N1000 or more is realized on each bushmeat 
bought directly from hunters. This depends on the 
species and the stage at which the meat is bought by the 
marketers.  

The three main methods used in killing animals are 
trapping, gun shot and tracking down. Apart from meat, 
almost all the species of wild animals have one medicinal 
value or the other. Both the visceral and the bones of 
many of them are used in the preparation of medicine for 
different ailments. The skin, horns (Antilas), feathers and 
shells are used as decorations. Some animals like the 
parrot and chimpanzee are used as pets. They are also 
useful in medical researches. Giant animals such as the 
elephant (Loxodonta africana), hippopotamus (Hippopo-

tamus amphibius) , bufalo (Syncerus cafer) and the big 
cats like the lion (Panthera leo), tiger (Panthera tigris) and 
leopard (Panthera pardus) are no longer common in free 
areas. 
 

 

Marketing channel 

 

The channel begins with the chewing stick producer or 
harvester who either exhumes the root of plants as in the 
case of fagara (Zanthophylum zanthoxonoides) or cuts 
the stem as in Rauwolfia vomitora. The channel links the 

wholesaler directly or in some cases passes through the 

 
 
 
 
 

processor who does the splitting. Where it passes to the 
wholesaler directly, the wholesaler does the washing, 
cross cutting and splitting before selling to the retailer. 
The retailer may re-split before dividing them into smaller 
units (bunches) of between N20 and N50 each. There is 
no direct link between the producer or processor and the 
consumer in the case of M. acuminata though this may 
exist in other types that are widely marketed.  

Consumers can buy bushmeat from the market 
(wholesaler or retailer), restaurant or by the road side on 
the high ways (hunters). Usually, the wholesaler does the 
processing. In some cases, hunters do process the meat 
before sale most especially at popular spots on the 
highway for consumers to buy. This is common at Ikire in 
Irewole Local Government Area of Osun State. Youths 
besiege approaching vehicles at the checking points with 
fried or roasted bushmeat. Restaurants are also catego-
rized as wholesalers because they buy bushmeat in bulk 
and they have regular supplies from hunters and other 
marketers. Snails are sold live in bunch of 5 or more on 
the highways or in the markets. 
 

 

Market margin 
 
The margin does not include that of the harvester. As in 
any other enterprises, the wholesalers require a huge 
capital to have a solid foundation. New entrants therefore 
require operating capital of between N 16,000 to 
N20,000. Retailer can have as little as N1000 to start 
depending on the number of chewing sticks initially 
purchased from the wholesalers (Table 4).  

Market margin varies from one animal to the other. It 
also depends on the bargaining power of the people 
involved. For snail, there is no processing or much labour 
except for the distance which transportation cost 
adequately takes care of. The margin for snail can be 

analyzed as follows: 



                             
 

   Table 4. Massularia acuminata per participant.                  
 

                              
 

   Wholesaler   Cost ( N )   Benefit ( N )    Margin ( N )       
 

   50 m
3
 roundwood  3,000                     

 

   Transportation  800                      
 

   Labour (cross cutting)  600                      
 

   Management  1,000.40                    
 

   Total     5,400.40                    
 

   Selling price (6,170 sticks)       8,000                
 

   Margin             2,599.60         
 

                                

   Retailer                            
 

   6,170 sticks  8,000                     
 

   Packaging and sales labour 2,000                     
 

   Total           10,000                
 

   Selling Price (N2.00 per stick)       12,340                
 

   Margin             2,340.00         
 

   Total Marketing Margin          4,939.60         
 

                               

  Source: Field Survey                         
 

   Table 5. Marketing margin for bushmeat (grass cutter) (per participant). 
 

                       
 

  Hunter      Cost ( N )  Benefit ( N )  Margin ( N )   
 

  Labour (1 Monday)   500                    
 

  Bullet      160                    
 

  Transportation   100                    
 

  Management (10% of Total Cost)  80                    
 

  Total Cost      840                    
 

  Selling            1,800              
 

  Margin                   960         
 

                              
 

  Wholesaler                            
 

  Purchase      1,800                   
 

  Processing      200                    
 

  Transportation   40                    
 

  Management   240                    
 

  Total cost      2,280                   
 

  Selling Price            3,000              
 

  Margin                   720         
 

  Total Marketing Margin                1,680        
 

                              
 

   Source: Field Survey                         
 

Gatherer's selling price = N 80 per One (Big)   The margin    = N 120.00 
 

Wholesaler's selling price = N 140.00 " "   
Source: Field Survey. 

          
 

Restaurant selling price = N 200.00 " " 
            

 

                       
  



     
 

Table 6. List of Ntfps in Osun State     
 

     
 

Botanical Name Common Name Plant Part Used Uses  
 

Vernonia amygdalina Ewuro Leaf, Stem and root Soup  
 

Zanthophylum zanthoxonoides Fagara root chewing stick  
 

Morinda lucida Oruwo root “  
 

Nauclea latifolia Ogbesi root “  
 

Garcinia kola Orogbo stem “  
 

Jatropha curcas Lapalapa stem “  
 

Raphia nitida Irosun stem “  
 

Terminalia gleucescens Idi-odan stem “  
 

Psidium guajava Guava stem/fruit “  
 

Parkia biglobosa Igba fruit /food food  
 

Irvingia garbonensis Oro fruit “  
 

Butyrospermum paradoxum Emi fruit “  
 

Tetracarpidum conophorum Awusa fruit “  
 

Aframomum melegueta Atare fruit medicinal  
 

Tetrapleura tetraptera Idan stem/back “  
 

Agaricus sp Mushroom leaf food  
 

Tectona grandis Teak leaf wrapping food  
 

Thaumatococcus danielli Ewe Iran “ “  
 

Sarcophrynum brachystachys  “ “  
 

Mitragyna stipulos Ewe obe “ “  
 

Cola nitida Obi fruit Food  
 

Zingiber officinale Ginger fruit medicinal  
 

Spondias mombin Agbalumo fruit/bark “  
 

Megaphrynium macrostachyum Iyeye fruit/bark food /med.  
 

Alstonia bonnei Gbodogi leaf wrapping food  
 

Momordica foetida Awun bark medicinal  
 

Rauwolfia vomitora Ira leaf chew.Stick/me  
 

Ficus exasperata Eepin leaf washing  
 

Pycnathus angolensis Akomu bark medicinal  
 

Melicia excelsa Iroko bark “  
 

Azadirachta indica Dongoyaro leaf/bark “  
 

Ocimum gratissimum Efinrin leaf “  
 

Mitragyna cylindrica Abura leaf “  
 

Solanum incanum Igba fruit food  
 

Obvitenthera abbyssinica Oparu stem craft/buildin  
 

Massularia acuminata Pakoijebu stem chewing stick  
 

Newboulda laevis Akoko leaf cultural  
 

 WILD GAMES   
 

Tragelaphus scriptus Antelope, Igala meat  
 

Sylvicapra griminia Antelope, Esuro “  
 

Thryonomys swinderianus Grass-cutter, Oya “  
 

Antherurus africanus Porcupine, Oore “  
 

Antherurus africanus Monkey, Obo "/pet  
 

Erythrocebus patas Squirrel, Okere “  
 

Anomarulus spp Snail, Igbin “  
 

Archachatina marginata Crocodile,Oni “  
 

Crocodilus niloticus Bush pig, Imado “  
 

Potamochoerus porcus “ 
 

 

Bush fowl, Etu  
 

Trancolinus bicakaratus “ 
 

 

Monitor  
 

Varanus niloticus “ 
 

 

Giant rat, Okete  
 

Cricetomys gambianus “ 
 

 

Common Names  
 

   
  



 
 
 

 

The total marketing margin for grasscutter (Thryonomys 

swinderianus) is N1680 (Table 5). 

 

CONCLUSION 
 
While the importance of NTFPs is coming into lime light, 
there are some militating problems against their 
production and marketing. NTFPs are biological entities 
which are grossly affected by seasonal variation. This in 
turn affects their prices. In Nigeria, there are two 
seasons, rainy and dry. Most of the NTFPs are cheap 
during the raining season because of the abundance of 
rain while they are relatively expensive during the dry 
season. There has not been any recorded irrigation 
scheme for the production of NTFPs in the State.  

Apart from seasonal variation, another factor that affect 
the supply of NTFPs is the presence of competing 
substitutes. Hardly is there any NTFP without a close 
substitute and as any other agricultural product, the 
demand for NTFPs is almost perfectly elastic. Other 
problems include high transport cost cum poor 
transportation which affects the price of NTFPs especially 
those brought from a far distance. Lack of capital and 
credit facilities also some of these products on a large 
scale. Harvesting of many NTFPs is labour intensive and 
a lot of wastage accompanies it.  

Medicinal products are found with the "Elewe Omos' or 
the "Lekuleja". These are women who deal with the sales 
of NTFPs used in medicines. Most of the medicinal 
products have competed favourably with orthodox 
medicine in the past and in the present; they have been 
incorporated into the therapy which has proved 
successful. It is common to see drugs made from NTFPs 

 
 
 
 

 

in patent stores after they have been certified by 

registered pharmacists (Table 6). 
 

 
REFERENCES 

 
FAO (1995). Report of the International Expert Consultation on Non-

wood forest products, Yogyakarta. Indonesia. 17-25. 
Nwoboshi LC (1986). Meeting the Challenges of Deforestation in 

Nigeria through Effective Reforestation. In Oguntala AB (ed)1986. 
Annual Conference of the Forestry Association of Nigeria. Minna. 
Nigeria  

Ogunlade AB (1993). The Needed Strategies and Problems of Industrial 

Plantation  Development in Nigeria.  Proceedings of  23
rd

   Annual 

Conference of the Forestry Association of Nigeria. 29
th

  Nov. – 3
rd

  
Dec.1993. Lagos. p. 89.  

Osemeobo JC (1991). Effect of Common Property Resource Utilization 
on Wildlife Conservation in Nigeria. Geo-J. Magde burger strate 
1703330 Helmstedt.Germany. 

Rijsoort. JV (2000). Non-timber Forest Products: Their Role in  
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