The main objective of marketing boards is to

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks for the main objective of marketing boards. These were set up in Nigeria (e.g., Cocoa Marketing Board, Groundnut Marketing Board, Cotton Marketing Board, Palm Produce Marketing Board) to deal with agricultural produce.

Step 2: Explain the concept Cash crops such as cocoa, groundnut, palm produce, rubber and cotton have prices that swing widely on the world market. Farmers can earn a lot in one year and very little the next. A marketing board addresses this by:

• Buying the produce from farmers at a fixed price for the season
• Selling it on the export market
• Keeping reserves (the surplus in good years) to pay farmers in bad years

This is called price and income stabilization.

Step 3: Check each option

• A. Accumulate revenue for government. Boards did sometimes generate surplus funds for government, but this was a side effect, not the main purpose.
• B. Educate farmers on pricing of cash crops. Education is not their core function.
• C. Stabilize the incomes of cash crop farmers. This matches the main purpose: protecting farmers from price fluctuations.
• D. Provide warehousing facilities. Storage is part of their operations, but it is a supporting function, not the main goal.

Step 4: Answer

Exam tip: When you see "marketing boards," think "stabilize": stable prices, stable incomes for farmers. Remember it as: Marketing Board = Money Balance for farmers.