Farm Budgeting Research Articles

PROFITABILITY ANALYSIS OF RICE MILLING AND MARKETING IN BAUCHI STATE, NIGERIA

The study analysed the profitability of rice milling and marketing in Bauchi State, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used for the selection of respondents. The respondents comprised rice processors (millers) and marketers. Data were collected using questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics, farm budgeting techniques and multiple regression analysis. The findings revealed that majority (87.5%) of the millers and all (100%) of marketers were male and married with a mean age of 39 and 44 years respectively. However, 43.8% of the millers and 40% of the marketers had a family size of between 6-10 people per household with majority (62.5%) of the millers having tertiary education. The analysis also shows that half (50%) and more than half (53%) of the millers and marketers had a marketing and milling experience of between 11-20 years. The result of the budgeting model revealed that millers had a net income of N714 per bag with a return per naira of N1.46 and marketers had a net income of N1, 672 per bag with a return per naira of N 0.12. The results of the regression analysis revealed that years of milling experience and education level were the factors influencing rice milling while household size and membership of association were significant factors influencing rice marketers’ income. However, high cost of diesel (96.7%) and transportation cost (95%) were the major constraints faced by the millers and marketers in the study area. The study concluded that, milling and marketing of rice is a profitable ventures in the study area. It is therefore, recommended that government together with stakeholders should provide adequate infrastructure and introduce favorable policies to strengthen the rice value chain in the study area.

Economic efficiency of rice production among the small-scale women farmers in the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria

This study evaluated the economic efficiency of rice production among the small-scale women farmers in the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 100 small-scale women rice farmers. The primary data were collected with the aid of a well-designed and well-structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, farm budgeting technique, financial analysis, the Stochastic production frontier efficiency model, and the Tobit dichotomous regression model. The results show that 88% of women rice farmers were below 50 years old. The mean age was 44 years. Averagely, they were small-scale farmers with 1.31 hectares of farm land. The labor input in man-days constituted the highest percentage of about 50.8% of the total costs of activities involved in rice production. The net farm income and gross margin ratio was estimated at 416,800 Naira and 0.63 respectively. This shows that the rice production by women farmers was profitable and worthwhile. The mean allocative, economic, technical efficiency scores were 50.3%, 50.8%, and 51.20% leaving the efficiency gaps of 49.7%, 49.2%, and 48.8% for improvement respectively. The significant factors influencing the economic efficiency of the rice production among women farmers include the following: – farm size, labor input, household size, seed input, fertilizer input, chemical input, farm experience, and access to credit. The major constraints encountered by women rice farmers include the following: inadequate credit facilities (1st), high cost of labor (2nd), high cost of fertilizers (3rd) and high cost of herbicides (4th). The study recommends that farm inputs such as improved seeds, fertilizer input, chemical input and herbicides should be made available to women farmers at affordable prices. Credit facilities devoid of rigorous administrative procedures at low interest rate should be made available to women farmers Keywords: economic efficiency, rice production, Tobit regression model, small-scale women farmers, Abuja, Nigeria

IMPACT OF CASHLESS POLICY ENFORCEMENT AND NAIRA REDESIGN ON FRESH CATFISH MARKETING IN MAKURDI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF BENUE STATE, NIGERIA

The study examined the impact of Cashless Policy Enforcement and Naira Redesign on Fresh Catfish Production and Marketing in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling procedure was employed to select 100 respondents for the study. Data were collected with the aid of structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics and farm budgeting techniques. The result revealed that fresh catfish producers were in their productive age with mean age of 34years. Majority (76%) of the fresh catfish producers were males and 84% married. The average household size and farming experience were 5 persons and 6 years, respectively. The results of the profitability analysis of catfish marketing in the study area before and during the cashless policy enforcement and Naira redesign revealed that before the policy, the catfish producers’ total variable costs and total fixed costs were N1701379 and N665689.22, respectively, making a total cost of N2367068.22. The results further revealed that total revenue of N2659284.66 and a net farm income of N292216.440 were realised. The profitability ratio shows that for every one naira invested, the catfish producers made about 89 kobo. However, the result revealed that, amid the cashless policy enforcement and Naira redesign, the total variable cost and total fixed cost were N827791.66 and N712688.47, respectively, making a total cost of N1540475.13. The results revealed total revenue of N1650800 and a net farm income of N110384.87. The profitability ratio shows that for every one naira invested, the catfish producers made about 92 kobo. The result of the impact of catfish marketing on the income level of the marketers in the study area before and during the cashless policy enforcement and Naira redesign revealed that before the policy, 30%t of the catfish marketers had an income of over N300, 000. However, during the policy, only 26% of the catfish farmer marketers had an income of over N300, 000 and 15% had an income of less than N50, 000. The result of the constraints to catfish marketing before and during the cashless policy enforcement and Naira redesign revealed that before the policy, the most constraints to catfish marketing were high electric charges (12.3%) and lack of credit facilities (9.1%). However, during the policy, the most constraints to catfish marketing were inadequate capital (8.3%), seasonality of commodity (7.8%), high cost of feed (7.4%), high cost of production (7.3%), high cost of labour (7.3%) and low demand of product (7.0%). The study concluded that Catfish production and marketing in the study area was more profitable before the cashless policy enforcement and Naira redesign. The study recommended that provisions for agricultural incentives such as short and long-term loans, with a single digit interest rate for the marketers in order to solve the problem of lack of credit facility. Also, Marketers should form marketing cooperatives to increase their access to credit from financial institutions and hence alleviate the problem of inadequate capital.

Adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices and its impact on smallholder farming households in some rural areas of North-Western Nigeria

Abstract The study determined the impact of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) adoption on crop yield, income, and food security status of smallholder farmers in north-western Nigeria using a sample of 377 farming households. Descriptive statistics, farm budgeting, probit regression model, and treatment effect model were used for data analysis. The result revealed that 82 % of the respondents are adopters of the CSA practices. Significant differences exist in the socioeconomic attributes of the adopters and non-adopters of CSA practices. More so, adopters had significantly larger farm sizes of about 4.0ha compared to 3.4ha for non-adopters. The major CSA practices adopted include crop rotation, application of organic and inorganic fertilisers, and multiple cropping. The major determinants of CSA practices adoption are age, membership of an association, and awareness of climate change impact. The result further shows that CSA adoption will increase technical efficiency scores by 21.9 %, crop income by ₦19,389 ($17.62) per hectare, while the household per capita expenditure on food will also increase by ₦21,938 ($20.0) This implies that the adoption of climate-smart agriculture significantly improved crop yield, income and food security status of smallholder farmers. To sustain the benefits of CSA practices adoption, farmers should be supported so that they do not discontinue its adoption. Credit availability should also be facilitated by the government to enable farmers to obtain relevant agricultural inputs to complement the adoption of CSA practices.

Effect of Arable Crop Production on Poverty Status of Farmers in Niger State, Nigeria

The study examined the effect of arable crop production on the poverty status of farmers in Bida local government, Niger State. Multistage sampling was employed to sample 180 respondents, Data were collected using structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics, farm budgeting techniques, total factor productivity, Foster, Greer and Thorbecke and Logit Regression Model. The results indicate farmers mean age of 37 years with 69.5% having formal education, with a net income of N211,10. Seed (.0908), farm size (.0465), level of education (.0746) and income (0.5678) had direct influence on the productivity of the farmers. Based on the poverty line (₦4741.79), 65% of the farmer were found to be poor. Extension contact (-.8419), access to credit (-1.1989) and income (-.034) had inverse relationship with the poverty status of arable farmers. It was recommended that the farmers should form farmer cooperatives to take advantage of economics of scale for purchase of inputs.

Economic Impact Analysis of Value Chain Development Programme (Vcdp) on Productivity of Rice Farmers in Niger State, Nigeria

This study evaluated economic impact analysis of value chain development programme on productivity of rice farmers in Niger State, Nigeria. Primary data were used. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select a total sample size of two hundred and ninety-two (292) rice farmers which comprised of one hundred and fifty-five (155) value chain development program beneficiaries and one hundred and thirty-seven (137) non- beneficiaries. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, farm budgeting technique, total factor productivity index, Tobit dichotomous regression model, propensity score matching (PSM), principal component analysis, F-Chow test, and t-test. The results revealed that the 65.81% of the rice farmers who benefited from the value chain program were male. Also, 48.91% of the non-beneficiaries of VCDP were at sub-optimal productivity level, while 36.13% of the beneficiaries were at super-optimal productivity level. The result of the Tobit regression estimates shows that the significant factors influencing total factor productivity were: that household size (P< 0.10), farm experience (P< 0.10), access to credit (P< 0.05), labour input (P< 0.10), and farm size (P< 0.10). Rice production in the study area was profitable. The coefficient of Average Treatment Effect for all matching algorithms for yields of rice farmers such as nearest neighbor, radius, kernel, and stratification were significant at (P< 0.01). This shows that value chain development program impacted positively on productivity of rice farmers. Extension officers should be employed to train rice farmers. Governments should put policies in place that will help remove bottlenecks in accessing agricultural loans.

Competitiveness and Comparative Advantage of Rice Production in Katsina State, Nigeria

The study was carried out to analyze the competitiveness and comparative advantage of rice production in Katsina state. A total of 196 farmers were sampled using a multi-stage sampling technique. Both primary and secondary data were utilized in the study. The primary data was collected using a structured questionnaire by trained enumerators, while the secondary data on international market prices were collected from various government and non-governmental agencies. Policy Analysis Matrix (PAM), Profit share analysis and farm budgeting techniques were used for data analysis. The result of the financial profitability analysis revealed that a typical rice farmer earned an average revenue and profit of ₦663,799.25/ha and ₦322,356/ha, respectively. The result of the Policy Analysis Matrix (PAM) indicator (Domestic Resource Cost) showed that the farmers had a comparative advantage in rice production by having a ratio of less than one (0.46). Similarly, the percentage of the Unit Cost Domestic index (UCD) and Unit Cost Export index (UCX) for the farmers were less than 0.51 and 0.57, respectively, showing that the farmers were competitive in domestic and international markets. The Effective Protection Coefficient (EPC) ratio of greater than one showed that the farmers were positively affected by the government's agricultural policies. It was recommended that the current combined trade policies in the rice sector should be sustained to strengthen the comparative advantage and increase the competitiveness of the local rice.

Experiential Learning And Feedback Of Agricultural Graduates Towards RAWEP And AELP

The basic core of agricultural education institute consists of three intra-curricular components like classroom teaching, experiential learning through supervised experiences and leadership activities to the students to gain knowledge and skill in their academic carrier. Experiential learning is fulfilled through RAWEP and AELP. Agricultural Graduates of B.Sc (Ag.) are exposed to learn the knowledge and skills by staying with contact (host) farmers in the village. Along with RAWEP, students were engaged in running of enterprise and gain self employment and self-confidence by establishing their own enterprise with the principle of learning while doing. Present study taken 90 B.Sc (Ag) graduates from Southern Telangana Zone of the state and reported that helps to improve diagnostic skills (98.88%), understanding various management practices in the farm (91.11%), gain the knowledge and skills by conducting the extension activities (92.22%), developing skills in farm budgeting (96.67%), whereas AELP develops technical competency on various best management practices in agriculture (93.33%).

Economics of Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) Production in Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State, Nigeria

The study was carried out to analyze the economics of groundnut (Arachis hypogea L.) production in Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State, Nigeria. Multistage sampling technique which involves purposive selection of five wards from Bali LGA and simple random selection of 75 farmers from five wards were employed in collecting primary data using structured questionnaire. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, farm budgeting and regression analysis. The result showed that the mean age of the farmers was 35 years, 66.7% were married, 61% were female and 78% of the ground nut farmers had one form of education or the other. The mean years of farming experience was 6 years, the mean household size was 6 persons and the mean farm size was 2 ha. The analysis found that the total cost of producing groundnut per hectare was N170,610 and the gross margin was N 90,070. The profit of N75,040 was actualized with a benefit cost ratio of N1.44. The regression analysis indicated that Cobb-Douglas production function gave the best fit with R 2 value of 0.64. The coefficients of fertilizer (2.2301), farm size (1.5795) and labour (0.3782) were all positive and statistically significant at varying levels of probability. The coefficient of herbicide (-0.9423) was negative and statistically significant. The result revealed that the most severe problems affecting groundnut production were inadequate finance, lack of improve seed and high cost of labor which were ranked 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd respectively according to severity. In conclusion, groundnut production was profitable in the study area despite being affected with notable problems. The study therefore recommends investment and participation in groundnut farming by investors as it is a profitable venture. Also, government should establish organized marketing systems to moderate the activities of middlemen which will enhance more profit for the farmers.

Analysis of Profitability in Pepper (Capsicum spp) Production in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, Rivers State, Nigeria

The study was centered on analysis of profitability in pepper (Capsicum spp) production in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, Rivers State, Nigeria. The study utilized multistage sampling to select 172 farmers in the study area. Structured copies of questionnaire were appropriated in eliciting information from the farmers. Out of the 172 copies of questionnaires dispatched, only 160 were retrieved. Data for the study were analysed using frequency count, percentages, mean score, farm budgeting model, and multiple regression. The result showed that 69.4% of the marketers were female while 30.6% were male. In the same vein, 57.5% farmers were majorly within the age range of 31-43 years and 50.6% of these farmers were married. Contrastingly, while 100% of the farmers used agrochemicals in their farming operation, the 100% did not apply fertilizer in their farms. Results from the farm budgeting model showed that average annual net farm income (profit) was ?59,234.52 for 0.12 hectares. The average gross farm income realized per annum stood at ?180, 8250, the variable cost was ?407,665.6 and the estimated gross margin was ?1,400,584 per annum. Results from mean score analysis showed that the most dominant constraint was flooding with a mean score of 3.91875 greater than the 2.5 benchmarks. Following these findings, the study recommended that government should encourage unemployed youths to go into pepper production so that the gap between demand and supply can be narrowed.

Technical efficiency of agroforestry production technology among smallholder farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria

This study evaluated technical efficiency of agroforestry production technology among smallholder farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling technique was adopted. A total sample size of 120 smallholder agroforestry farmers was used. Primary data were collected with the aid of structured and well-designed questionnaire. Analytical tools used were: descriptive statistics, farm budgeting techniques, financial analysis, stochastic production frontier model, and principal component model. About 85% of agroforestry farmers were male, while 15% were female. Also, 87.50% of agroforestry farmers were less than 50 years of age. The mean age was 45 years. Furthermore, 85% of agroforestry farmers had formal education and were literate. The household sizes were large with mean value of 6 members per household. The agroforestry systems practiced include: alley farming, shelterbelts, wind breaks, home gardens, api-silviculture, aqua-forestry, retaining tree on farm land, taungya systems, farmed parkland, and silvo-pasture. The result of the farm budgetary technique show that agroforestry farming was profitable among the smallholder farmers in the study area. The result of the maximum likelihood estimates shows that the significant factors influencing output of agroforestry production technology were: seed input (P<0.05), farm size input (P<0.01), fertilizer input (P<0.10), labour input (P<0.10), and chemical input (P<0.01). The significant factors influencing technical inefficiency of agroforestry production technology were: gender (P<0.10), marital status (P<0.01), education level (P<0.01), experience in agroforestry production (P<0.01) and size of households (P<0.10). The average technical efficiency score obtained by the smallholder agroforestry farmers was 40.18%. The constraints facing agroforestry farmers include: lack of training and capacity building, inadequate extension officers, lack of improved seeds, lack of credit facilities, lack of fertilizers, and lack of agroforestry tree seedlings. The study recommends that agroforestry tree seedlings should be made available to farmers, credit facilities should be provided for easy access to agroforestry production technologies, extension officers should be employed, and improved seeds, fertilizers should be provided for increased productivity.

ANALYSIS OF PROFITABILITY AND CUCUMBER PRODUCTIVITY AMONG SMALLHOLDER FARMERS

In the tropics, cucumber is a popular vegetable to grow; and as such it becomes imperative to evaluate the levels of farm productivity, given that agricultural productivity has a linear relationship with overall farm profitability. Therefore, this study analyzed profitability and cucumber productivity among smallholders in Jos-South, Plateau State, Nigeria. For this study, 115 respondents were selected using a multistage sampling method. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, farm budgeting and total factor productivity techniques. The estimated gross and net farm incomes were respectively ₦204,000 and ₦95,200 per hectare; indicating a venture that has the potential to improve economic prospects and is relatively profitable. Additionally, the benefit-cost ratio and profit margin were estimated to be 0.88 and 46.7%, respectively. In addition, the majority of cucumber farmers (51.3%), whose TFP indices were below the optimal scale, were producing sub-optimally; due to an inefficient mix of inputs and the high cost of factors of production. Further, the following were barriers to cucumber production in the area under study: inadequate capital (93.9%); inadequate input supply (78.2%); labour cost (75.7%); limited access to microcredit (70.6%); lack of improved technology (67.8%); limited extension contact (53.9%); fragmented farm holdings (50.4%); and pest and disease outbreaks (43.5%). Therefore, this study recommends improved access to agricultural credit and farm capital; improved cooperative activities, input supply and subsidies, policy modifications, development and adoption of agricultural production technology, improved extension service delivery and farmer sensitization.

Empirical Analysis of Productivity among Broiler Farmers

Broiler production supplements income of smallholder farm households. Profitability and productivity and analysis are important considerations in measuring efficiency or performance of a farm business; hence, improved output and income are not only a function of increase in the scale of production, but also how efficiently the resources are being utilized. This study therefore estimates the profitability and level of productivity among broiler farmers in Jos North, Plateau State, Nigeria. Multistage sampling technique was employed to select respondents for this study. Primary data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics, farm budgeting model and Total Factor Productivity (TFP) analysis. The study revealed that the net farm income of broiler production was ₦96,900/flock size; suggesting a relatively profitable venture with prospects for improved economic potentials. The estimated percentage profit margin was 45.6%; indicative of the percentage net margin accruable to the farmer from the estimated gross margin and benefit-cost ratio was 0.84. Furthermore, most (54.3%) of broiler farmers were sub-optimally productive as their TFP indices were below the optimal scale; attributable to sub-efficient input mix and cost of production inputs. In addition, constraints of broiler production in the study area included the following; high cost of feeds (92.9); high cost of chicks (85.7%); financial constraints (80%); high cost of poultry equipment (55.7%); high cost of medication (35.7); disease outbreak (28.6%) and inefficient market system (21.4%). Improving access to and subsidy of poultry feeds, chicks, production inputs and credit, extension, medical services and cooperative formation for market linkages are strongly recommended.

Profitability of Watermelon Production Diversification Strategy: Evidence from Smallholder Farmers in Taraba State, Nigeria

The profitability of a watermelon production diversification plan for smallholder farmers in Taraba State, Nigeria, was investigated in this study. During the 2021 farming season, data for the study was collected from 355 randomly selected farms. Descriptive statistics and a farm budgeting approach were utilized to assess the data. The mean age of respondents was 42.3 years, 85.1% of them were married with an average household of six people. The majority (77.5%) of the respondents were educated with a mean farming experience of 8.6 years. On average, the respondents cultivate 4.2 hectares of land. The budgeting technique showed that a mixture of melon and cowpea has the highest average net farm income, followed by a mixture of melon and Bambara-nut while a mixture of melon and groundnut has the least average net farm income per hectare. The estimated gross margin and net farm income for all the enterprises stood at N 143618.11 and N 135051.13 respectively. The return on the owner's labour and management for all the enterprises is N 87801.13 and the return on investment is 127.58%. This demonstrates that the watermelon crop diversification strategies in the research area are profitable. A melon and cowpea combination was discovered to be more profitable than other firms. Because of this, it is suggested that a large amount of land be set aside for growing this crop.

Impact of Purdue Improved Cowpea Storage (PICS) Bag on the Profitability of Cowpea Storage in Kontagora Local Government Area of Niger State

The study examined the impact of Purdue Improved Cowpea Storage (PICS) Bag on the Profitability of CowpeaStorage in Kontagora Local Government Area of Niger State, Nigeria. Data were collected using a structuredquestionnaire. Descriptive statistics, multiple regression, independent t-test and farm budgeting models wereemployed for data analysis. Results of the descriptive analysis revealed that cowpea storage in the study areawas gender bias given that majority (94.2%) of the respondents were men. About (98.3%) had one form offormal education or the other, while (76.7%) had above 15 years farming experience. Results from the CobbDouglas regression model indicated that among socio-economic factors such as age, household size and yearsof experience, only age have a significant positive impact on the profitability of cowpea storage using PICSbag (p<0.097). The profitability analysis puts the average net revenue for chemical and PICS bags users at₦48,210 and ₦82,730 per hectare, respectively. The difference in profit was statistically significant (P< 0.00),implying that PICS bags usage was more profitable and had an impact on cowpea storage in the study area.Against this background, it was recommended that Niger State Government, through the Extension Componentof the State Agricultural Mechanization and Development Authority (NAMDA) promote efficient use ofimproved storage technology (PICS bag) amongst cowpea farmers in the study area with the view to ensuringprofitable and sustainable cowpea production.

Analysis of Maize Profitability among Smallholder Farmers in Mbinga District, Tanzania

This cross-sectional study analyzed the profitability of maize production among smallholder farmers in Mbinga District, Ruvuma, Tanzania. A multistage sampling procedure was applied to select 120 smallholder farmers. Data was collected by using semi-structured questionnaires and then analyzed by using descriptive statistics and farm budgeting technique. The results reveal that Gross Margin for maize enterprise was 1,182,650.79 TZS per hectare. This implies that maize farming is a profitable enterprise in the study area. The study recommends that the government should promote financing mechanisms to facilitate conducive environment for investment in the subsector. More, it is recommended that the government should manage the inputs subsidy provision by using participatory techniques. Further, the government should regulate informal maize markets to protect the welfare of farmers. Moreover, youth, women and people with disabilities should utilise the funds (10% of councils’ budgets) available at the Local Government Authorities to engage in agricultural activities. This will ultimately offer an opportunity to reduce unemployment in such localities.

Contribution of Sesame Production to the Livelihood of Farmers in Dutsin-Ma Local Government Area, Katsina State, Nigeria

Sesame production is an important enterprise that could boost incomes of its producers, thereby improving their livelihoods. It has been one of the cash crops produced in Nigeria, mostly by small scale farmers in order to acquire income for taking care of their families. In Katsina State, sesame is considered as one of the commercial crops for local and international markets. Thus, assessment of sesame contribution to the livelihood improvement of the farmers is vital. This could help to pay more attention to its production and utlisation. Data collected from 100 farmers were used to assess contribution of sesame production to the livelihood of farmers in Dutsin-Ma Local Government Area. Descriptive Statistics and Farm Budgeting Techniques were used to analyze the data. The net farm income (₦124,665.92/ha) obtained from the enterprise helped to improve farmers’ livelihood assets; sesame contributed 36.80% to each livelihood asset acquired by the farmers. Education, Housing, transportation, communication and livestock were among the assets that had greatly improved. It was noticed that the farmers were not gaining the optimum benefits associated with the enterprise; they were not processing sesame for oil extraction and soap making, which deprived them from accessing numerous other benefits. Farmers should organize themselves into strong cooperative societies to enable them access government and non-governmental loans and assistance packages. Governments and Non-Governmental Organizations should help to enlightened and trained the farmers on how to further process and market sesame products.

ANALYSIS OF DRY SEASON VEGETABLE PRODUCTION AMONG KIRI DAM USERS IN ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERIA

This study analysed the dry season vegetable production in the study area with the objective of estimating the profit and factors that affect vegetable production among the users of Kiri Dam. The data used for the study was collected from 120 randomly selected farms during the 2019 dry farming season. Descriptive statistics, farm budgeting and OLS regression analysis were used to analyse the data. The empirical estimates from farm budgeting methodology showed N29,230/ha net farm income and Naira investment return was 0.32. The Double log functional form showed farm size (P<0.1), seeds (P<0.05), fertilizer (P<0.01), age (P<0.05), and education level (P<0.01) had statistically significant effects on the vegetable production of the farmers in the study region. It was concluded that growing vegetables in the study area during the dry season was profitable. Therefore, it was suggested encouraged to educated youth who were not gainfully employed to join vegetable farming in the study area and supplying subsidized farm inputs such as seeds, fertilizer, and agrochemicals so as to lower production costs and increase profit.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF TOMATO MARKETING IN KARNATAKA STATE OF INDIA AND KANO STATE OF NIGERIA

This study was carried out with the aim of comparing the profitability of tomato marketing in Karnataka state of India and Kano state of Nigeria. A total of 120 tomato growers (60 from each study area) were sampled through random sampling method and interviewed with structured questionnaire. Farm budgeting (net marketing margin) and cost concept techniques as used in India were used to analyze the primary data. The study revealed that in both study areas of India and Nigeria, tomato produced passes through several intermediaries in different marketing channels with little or no value being added before reaching the end users. Therefore, farmers were forced to capture a lower share of profit margin. In India, the producer’s share in consumer’s rupee across the different marketing channels were found to be 85.50%, 82.14% and 75.68%; and 70.68%, 63.66% and 36.92%% for Nigeria. Hence, based on findings of these research, the hypothesis that marketing channels with higher number of intermediaries reduces the producer share in consumer’s rupee holds true in both study areas and it is hereby accepted.

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS AND TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY OF WATERMELON PRODUCTION IN NIGER STATE OF NIGERIA

The study examines the economic analysis and technical efficiency of watermelon production in Niger State of Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to draw up the sample and watermelon farmers in the area were the unit of the survey. Accordingly, 150 respondents were selected for the survey. Primary data were collected with the use of structured questionnaire. Information elicited for include socio-economic variables, farm information and management data, information on inputs and outputs and their relative prices, and information on constraints in watermelon production. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, farm budgeting techniques as well as stochastic frontier production function. The result of the analyses shows that the mean age of respondents was 41 years, 98% were males and most of them (88%) were married, and having average household size of 9 persons. A typical watermelon farmer in the study area realizes a gross farm income of N534,747.50/ha, and a net farm income of N459,769.56/ha and a return to investment of 6.13. The constraints to watermelon production in the study area include; inadequate capital for investment, high cost of inputs and their inadequacies, small farm size, poor market integration/pricing of produce, inadequate rainfall, problem of pests/diseases infestation, etc. It was concluded that watermelon is a profitable venture whose production can be increased if more land can be put under cultivation, ensuring that farmers have access to production inputs, provision of infrastructural facilities, land like good roads.