| | A favourite explanation of African countries' sluggish agricultural export performance is to attribute it to inappropriate marketing board policies. This paper seeks to examine this proposition put forward by Williams in ROAPE 34 in relation to Nigeria's experience. It begins by reviewing evidence from the agricultural sector so as to establish the dominant trends. It then proceeds to examine the analytical and factual basis of market-based explanations of these trends. An attempt is made to provide a more credible account of agricultural performance. This represents a preliminary step towards identifying sound policy choices as well as highlighting areas of further research. |
