[Pricing efficiency of a group of fruit and vegetable crops in Jordan]

The study aimed at measuring pricing efficiency of a group of fruit and vegetable crops in Jordan in order to improve the performance of efforts to evaluate marketing efficiency of the fruit and vegetable marketing system. Results indicated that for marketing margins, using as a criteria for measuring pricing efficiency the farmers share consisted of 27.5% - 38.2% of the consumer price; total margins between farmers and consumers consisted 61.8% - 72.5% of the consumers price, except for calamondin which consisted of 43.2% of the consumers price. Total margins were considered high because, except for calamondin, they consisted more than 61% of the consumer price of the five remaining crops: tomato, eggplant, cucumber, squash, potato and lemon, inspite of the increase in consumers price of these crops which ranged between 179-566 fils/kg. Seasonality of wholesale prices was also studied as criteria for measuring pricing efficiency and the results indicated that all crops under discussion showed two seasons, except grapes and lemon. Correlation between prices at various market places were studied: between some day prices of the present day and between prices of the present and previous days in wholesale markets at different sites in Jordan. Except for tomato, in the production peak period only, no clear link was noticed between same day prices in any two markets; no clear correlation was noticed between current prices in any dept. market and prices of the previous day of the same market and the independent market against which it was measured. Obligatory consumer pricing performance results showed that the wholesale price was not adopted as a base for determining consumer price, most clear in potato lemon and peach pricing. This indicated that the pricing committee was not adopting one clear pattern in determining consumer prices. Declaring consumer prices in the morning of each day created a ceiling for the wholesale price of tomato, in wholesale markets which indicated the possibility of the same thing happening with the other crops