Abstract

The supply chain is a critical part of the value chain concerned with food delivery from producers to end users. It is pertinent to understand challenges within the supply chain of the African yam bean (AYB), an underutilised and neglected crop of high potential. The study thus assessed marketers, a vital aspect of the stakeholders of the supply chain to ascertain key challenges facing the supply line of the AYB. A structured questionnaire was administered to a total of 100 respondents comprising supply chain stakeholders, who were randomly sampled in the Wurukum market, Makurdi LGA, Benue State. Responses were presented as frequencies and percentages in the study. The study revealed major challenges affecting the AYB supply line including scarcity of grains and tubers, bad road network, inadequate purchasing power of grains and tubers, unfavourable weather conditions, damage to grains and tubers in storage, and lack of good quality seeds. Hence, apart from the intervention of agronomists and breeders to provide high-yielding quality seeds, there is still a need for both the State and Local government intervention to provide basic amenities to mitigate these effects on the AYB supply chain.