Market Information and Price Instability: An Insight into Vegetable Markets in Senegal

Hélène David-Benz, Idrissa Wade and Johny Egg
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Hélène David-Benz: CIRAD ; CA ; Montpellier, France
Idrissa Wade: INRA ; UMR MOISA ; Montpellier, France
Johny Egg: INRA ; UMR MOISA ; Montpellier, France

Microeconomics from University Library of Munich, Germany

Abstract: Market gardening has been increasing fast in Senegal. But farmers face high marketing risks: daily price fluctuations exceed an average 20% for some products, seasonality is strong, anticipation based on prices leads to cyclic movements. Farmers and market operators have found various forms of coordination to manage uncertainty. “Coxers” are specifically dedicated to information gathering, either in rural or wholesale urban markets or to transport negotiation. Paid per unit handled, they limit their own risk, whereas they reduce uncertainty for their partners. In other cases, interlinked transactions permit to provide inputs to producers despite the deficient credit market; meanwhile, it secures merchants access to product. As it is the case in many other countries, information provided by MIS is of little help to Senegalese market gardeners. The updated and more targeted access to information through MANOBI services allows producers to improve their negotiation capacity. But it does not modify the existing coordination features, given that they are not only determined by needs in information (but also by social links, access to credit, payment modalities, transport facilities…).

Keywords: Horticulture; Price analysis; Market instability; Information; Transaction costs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D23 D82 O17 Q13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 15 pages
Date: 2005-12-19
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-afr, nep-agr, nep-fmk, nep-knm and nep-mkt
Note: Type of Document - pdf; pages: 15
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wpa:wuwpmi:0512005

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