Correlations between marketing strategies and product lines: A case of cassava microenterprises in Migori County, Kenya

Cassava (Manihot esculenta L.) microenterprises ought to be strategic in marketing their products for relatively better marketing margins. Strategic marketing is one of the pathways that could be used in the transformation of rural smallholder agrienterprises into more potential entities that uplift them from the low-income farming. This stimulates the need for processing and marketing of various farm products for optimum market participation by cassava microenterprises hence transformed economic status. This study was carried out in Migori County with an objective to determine the relationships between marketing strategies and product lines in the major markets. It involved 267 cassava microenterprises using a structured questionnaire. Results revealed that the most prevalent marketing strategies were pricing, marketing alliances, product value addition, and product promotion. On the product lines, the most dominant product lines were the fermented and unfermented pellets, with relatively little cassava tubers and cassava-based products. Pearson Product-moment correlation analysis showed that marketing strategies and product lines significantly (p<0.05) correlated and influence their coexistence among the cassava microenterprises. It was therefore concluded that cassava microenterprises should use marketing strategies with mutual effects with their cassava products for better turnovers and incomes. Key words: Alliances, Manihot esculenta, market margins, Pearson-product moment, promotion