Observation

1. Question 6 was avoided by many candidates and poor marks were recorded for most of them. Candidates who attempted question 6(a) were unable to calculate the total and annual depreciation of the grain dryer.
2. In Question 6 (c), many candidates were stating the advantages of weaver birds in a rice field instead of its demerits.

The expected answers include:

(a)        Calculation on depreciation of grain dryer

(b)        Roles of marketing agents

                        (i)         Retailer

• Gives credit facilities to consumers by allowing them to pay at a future date
• Helps consumers to take purchasing decisions by allowing them to make their choice as variety of goods are stocked
• Provides goods at the time and place where the consumers want them
• Serves as the intermediary between the wholesalers and the final consumers in the process of distribution and deals directly with the final consumers
• Passes information on market conditions of goods to the wholesaler based on the consumers experience
• Advises the consumers on the right brand of products
• Provides aftersales services to the consumers
• Advertises goods sold, hence helps the manufacturers(producers) in advertising their products

 
(ii)        Wholesaler

• Provides after-sale services to retailer
• Advises the producer and the retailer on the market situations
• Offers credit facilities to the retailer
• Passes information from the retailer to the producer or from the producer to the retailer
• Assists the producer by advertising the produce to the people through various sales promotion strategies
• Provides warehousing /storage facilities
• Buys in large quantity (in bulk) from the producer and breaks the bulk and sells to the retailers in smaller quantities
• Links the producer and consumer together in the chain of goods distribution
• Provides transport facilities for produce production

                        (iii)       Cooperative society

• Raises loans for the members
• Encourages members to cultivate saving habits
• Eliminates middlemen; thus stabilizing the prices of produce
• Help secure farm inputs and machinery to members
• Obtains economics of scale in processing, grading, storage and marketing of produce
• Helps in the education of members/extension services
• Counters exploitative tendencies of middlemen involved in the marketing of agricultural produce
• Improve the bargaining power of members
• Liaise with government and extension agents
• Hire and build warehouse/storage facilities for members’ use
• Arrange sales of commodities
• Offer financial services to members
• Advocate on behalf of members

            (c)        Reasons why the farmer should control the weaver birds in a rice field

• Birds can cause crop failure/food shortage
• Yield of rice may be reduced
• Cost of control of the birds is high
• Increases the cost of production of rice
• Reduction in farmers’ profit /income
• The need to control the birds may divert the farmers’ attention from other productive  activities on the farm
• Infestation of the birds may discourage the farmer from rice production
• Farmer’s productivity is reduced
• The quality of rice may be reduced