CONTRIBUTION OF GROWTH ENHANCEMENT SUPPORT SCHEME ON RICE FARMERS IN BAYELSA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study analyzed contribution of Growth Enhancement Support Scheme on rice farmers in Bayelsa State. Purposive sampling technique was used in the selection of Yenagoa agrozone and Sagbama zone. A sample of 170 rice farmers were randomly selected from ten communities. Data were collected using structured questionnaire, and were analyzed with descriptive statistics such as mean, frequency and table. The results reveal that the mean age of the respondents was 44.5±11.1. Majority 54.7% of the rice farmers were males and 52.9% of the rice farmers were married. Majority 89.9% had one form of formal education or the other, household ranged from 1-5 persons. The result also indicates the mean years of farming experience 35.3±8.1 of the rice farmers. Majority (x = 3.8) of the rice farmers indicated increased in food production as the major benefit of the scheme. From the findings, the major constraints with mean were; telecommunication problem (x = 2.0), Late arrival of inputs (x = 2.0) low limited input allocation (x = 1.7) and distance from redemption centers (x = 2.0). The study concluded that growth enhancement support scheme had very low performance indices in redemption of input; although there is yearly increase in farmers’ participation and service delivery in the scheme. The study recommended that the scheme should be sustained by successive government, improvement in participation of farmers through proper and effective communication and provision of fertilizers with other agro-inputs should be sufficiently supplied to farmers appropriately to enhance production.