Problems and Prospects of Pineapple Production in Enugu State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study identified problems and prospects of pineapple production in Enugu State of Nigeria. Purposive sampling technique was used to select eighty (80) pineapple farmers from two agricultural zones. Data were analyzed using percentage and mean score. Results show that greater proportion (56.2%) of the farmers was male, majority (47.5%) had no formal education and 68.8% had their farm located far from their residence while a greater proportion (43.8%) of the farmers cultivated improved pineapple variety. Also, 55.0% sourced planting materials from their farm. All the respondents (100%) harvested their produce manually. Respondents indicated that the major potentials of the area for pineapple production included: availability of fertile land for pineapple production (M=2.78); and ready market for the sale of the crop produce (M=2.72). Others included: a good source of income (M=2.62), and good health through consumption among farmers/inhabitants (M=2.78). Major constraints of pineapple production identified by the respondents were poor access road for transportation of produce (M=2.56), and lack of technical knowledge on the use of improved technology (M=2.56). It was concluded that there were good prospects for pineapple production in the area; however issues of infrastructure and technical knowledge should be tackled in order to harness those potentials.