**3.1 Socioeconomic characteristics of marketers**

Findings revealed that most of the retailers (70.37%) and wholesalers (81.25%) were male indicating dominance of male folks in cucumber marketing in the study area. Most of the retailers (42.59%) were within 31–40 years age group whereas majority of the wholesalers (43.75%) were within the age group of 41–50 years indicating that the wholesalers were older than the retailers in the study area. Most of watermelon marketers which is also a curcubit like cucumber were also within the age group of 31–40 years indicating that the marketers were young and agile [11]. All the wholesalers were married while 66.67% of the retailers were married. Most of the retailers (74.0%) and wholesalers (68.8%) were educated at the primary and secondary level. Whereas most of the watermelon marketers in Oyo state (54.4%) had no formal education [11]. Most of the retailers had up to 6–10 years' (44.44%) experience in cucumber marketing whereas the wholesalers had more years of experience in the marketing 11–15 years (31.25%). Most of the retailers (87%) and wholesalers (75%) had 1–5 members in their respective household. All the wholesalers had marketing of vegetable as their main occupation while 98.1% of the retailers had marketing as their main occupation and the major source of capital was from personal savings. Only 22% of the retailers were members of association while majority of the wholesalers (75%) were members of association such as cooperative society. Majority of the retailers (88.9%) and Wholesalers (56.3%) have not received training on vegetable marketing. The marketers had poor extension contact in the study area. Majority of the retailers (98.1%) and wholesalers (93.8%) had no contact with extension agents in their marketing activities (**Table 1**).


#### *Cucumber Economic Values and Its Cultivation and Breeding*


#### **Table 1.**

*Socioeconomic characteristics of the marketers.*
