A market analysis of beef cattle: Study in North Sulawesi Province - Indonesia

The aim of the study was to analyze marketing channel, marketing margin, and marketing efficiency of in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. The research was conducted in two cities, such as City of Manado and Tomohon, and one regency, such as Regency of Minahasa, as the trade center of cattle in North Sulawesi province. There were 120 respondents, consisting of 100 farmers, 10 livestock brokers or intermediaries, 5 collecting traders (business scale of 20-30 cattle), and 5 end user or end consumer of live beef cattle, business consumer, and owner or user of abattoirs as well as beef distributors in North Sulawesi. The determining of respondents was snowball sampling starting with information of farmers as owner or user of abattoirs or slaughterhouse as well as both business and end users or end consumers of beef cattle. Analysis of marketing channel was performed by descriptively qualitative analysis via interview to marketing agencies and farmers of beef cattle, likewise with the analysis of marketing margin and marketing efficiency. The result of study showed marketing channel of beef cattle from farmers in North Sulawesi consists of two channels, such as via livestock brokers or intermediaries and through collecting wholesalers. the marketing margin of live beef cattle in North Sulawesi was large enough as of IDR 8,400,000, where the biggest marketing margin was on end users or business consumers. The market of beef cattle in North Sulawesi tends efficient due to the equal profit share and share of marketing cost in each marketing agency.