Analysis of Profitability and Constraints of Maize Production in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria
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International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VII, Issue IV, April 2020 | ISSN 2321–2705 Analysis of Profitability and Constraints of Maize Production in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria Ayodele, J.T., Ijah, A.A., Ishola, B.F. and Yahaya, U.F. Federal College of Forestry Mechanization, Afaka, Kaduna State, Nigeria Abstract : This study analyse the profitability and constraints of returns analysis has been widely used in research studies. maize production in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna Sadiq et.al. (2013) employed costs and returns estimates to State. Structured questionnaire was used to generate primary determine profitability and production efficiency of small- data for the study. Descriptive statistics, Net farm income scale maize production in Niger State, Nigeria and reported a analysis, and profitability ratios were employed in the analysis. gross margin income of N 55,191.00 and net farm income of Results revealed that majority of the respondents (99 %) were relatively young and fell within the active age (21 – 60 years). N 48,109.00 respectively with a gross ratio of 0.39 and Male respondents dominated maize production at 87 % and operating ratio of 0.31 indicating that maize production is majorities (81%) of the farmers were married. Results further profitable in the study are . Profitability of maize production revealed that significant (71%) number of the respondents had in Yola North Local Government Area of Adamawa State was below 11 inhabitants in their households. Educationally, 51 % of carried out by Lamba et.al.(2016) using cost and return respondents had post primary education. The net farm income variables, they reported that maize production was a profitable per hectare was N74,606.40 and gross income of N132,000.00 business in the study area with an average variable cost, were obtained per hectare of maize cultivated with a return on average fixed cost, gross margin and net farm income per capital invested determined at 0.57 implying that for every naira hectare of N31, 437.22, N4, 300.00, N23, 910.78 and invested, the farmers makes 57 kobo (N0.57)and the gross ratio was calculated at 0.47 indicating that total farm costs was about N19610.78 respectively. In his study titled analysis of 47% of the gross income which shows that maize production is a resource use efficiency and profitability of maize production viable, beneficial and profitable enterprise in the study area. in some selected agricultural zones of Kaduna State, Nigeria, Major constraints faced by the farmers were poor Ayodeji (2009) reported that maize farming was profitable in transportation, high cost of hired labour, lack of extension the study area with gross margin of N121, 784.75. In a study services and inadequate supply of agrochemicals and carried out by Girei et.al.(2018) to examined the economics of fertilizer, incidence of pests and diseases infestation plus small-scale maize production in Toto Local Government Area inadequate capital and credit facilities. Despite these of Nasarawa State, Nigeria reported that a gross margin of constraints, the farmers were still able to made profit. Therefore, N170,594.50 was earned from one hectare of maize farm with maize production could be one of the poverty alleviating a return per naira invested of 2.40 indicating that maize enterprise in the study area. It is recommended that: credit production is profitable in the study area. They also observed facilities should be provided so that farmers can have fund to that the cost of labour constituted a greater proportion of the purchase farm inputs such as fertilizer, pesticides and insectices costs of production, accounting for about 58.38% and 39.52% to combat problem of pests and diseases infestation identified, of the total variable cost and the total cost respectively. improve varieties of maize should be developed and made available to the farmers so that their yield can be improved and Similarly Sadiq et.al. (2013) reported that labour cost farmers should form themselves into cooperative society so that accounted for about 24.6% of the total cost of production in they can pool their resources together in getting adequate funds their study. However high cost of labour, pests and diseases, to finance maize production activities. inadequate storage facilities, inadequate capital, marketing problems, transportation, poor access to credit facilities and Keywords: Profitability; groundnut; production; Constraints; Kaduna State. high cost of inputs.er a study by Kaine (2016) using cost and return variables to determine the economics of maize I. INTRODUCTION production in Aniocha North Local Government Area, Delta State, Nigeria reported that the maize farmers were at loss. ccording to Bernard (2003) the use of costs and returns The result indicates that a total income of N4, 400,000.00 was analysis as basis for profitability evaluation possesses A generated with a Net profit margin of minus (-) N112,909.00. some limitations which are: (i) It is location bound and the A further investigation shows that for every N1.00 invested in applicability is specific due to use of money as the common maize production, there was a loss of N3.84. This implies that unit of measurement and the prevailing price of the estimates maize production is not profitable in the study area and (ii) It does not show the relative importance of each of the resources in production. Despite these limitations, costs and www.rsisinternational.org Page 228 International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VII, Issue IV, April 2020 | ISSN 2321–2705 Maize (Zea mays), is one of the oldest and widely cultivated B. Sampling Techniques and Frame cereals in the world. It provides food for man and livestock. Multi-stage and random sampling techniques were Maize, which is also commonly known as corn, is one of the adopted to select the respondents for the study. In the first most popular food crops in Africa. Maize is cooked in various stage five (5) wards namely; Rido, Kakau, Chikun, Kujama ways and millions of Africans rely on this crop because it and Gwagwada were selected purposively due to high usually costs less than wheat and rice and other common concentration of maize farmers in the wards. In the second grains and cereals. Actually, a lot of daily diets would not be stage two villages each from the five (5) wards were also possible without maize; a lot of animal products like eggs, purposively selected which includes; Rido, Karji.Kakau, meat, and milk production depend on maize, because this Buwaya, Chikun, Kugo,Kujama, Kafari, Gwagwada and ingredient is used to feed animals (Odusanya, 2018). Dutse because of their predominance and intensively According to the latest research, the African continent cultivation of maize. In the third stage random sampling was produces about 6.5% of maize in the world. Nigeria is the used to select ten (10) maize farmers in the selected villages in largest maize producer in Africa, with South Africa holding the study area which gave a total of one hundred (100) the second place. Annually, Nigeria produces about 8 million respondents respectively. tons of this food crop. Maize is widely grown all over the country. However, the leaders in this crop production are C. Data Collection Niger, Taraba, Kaduna, Adamawa, and Plateau states (Odusanya, 2018). Data for this study was obtained from primary sources. The primary data was obtained through the use of According to Prathyusha et al. (2013) the third most structured questionnaire and oral interview to gather important cereal in the world with highest production information on the socio-economic characteristic such as age, potential next to rice and wheat is maize. In Nigeria maize sex, level of education, household size etc. other information ranked third among widely domesticated grown crop after that was gather from the respondents include the inputs and sorghum and millet. It is highly productive, cheap, and less output variables associated with maize production in the study rigorous to produce and adapts to wide range of agro- area. ecological zones (FAO, 2014). Maize is an important source D. Data Analysis of carbohydrate, protein, iron, vitamin B, and minerals. It is also used as animal feed and as raw material for brewing beer The following tools of analysis were employed to achieve the and for producing starch (IITA, 2008). stated objectives of the study. Maize production in Nigeria is faced with some problems and i. Simple descriptive statistics according to Girei et.al.(2018) in their study some of the problems militating against maize production are high cost of ii. Net farm income analysis labour, pests and diseases, inadequate storage facilities, iii Profitability ratios inadequate capital, marketing problems, transportation, poor access to credit facilities and high cost of inputs. 1).Simple Descriptive Statistics: This involves the use of descriptive statistics such as table percentage, mean and The aimed of this study is to analyse the profitability and frequency distribution. constraints of maize production in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State,Nigeria. 2) Net Farm Income Analysis.:Net farm income analysis was used to estimate costs and return associated with maize II. MATERIALS AND METHODS production in the study area. It is expressed as follows:- A. Study Area GM=GI-TVC The study was carried out in Chikun Local Government Area NFI = GM - TFC of Kaduna State. The local government covers area of about 4456.59km and lies between the latitude 10˚N and longitude Where: GM=Gross Margin (Naira/ha) 90˚E. and situated in the Northern Guinea Savannah Zone. It TVC=Total Variable Cost (Naira/ha) shares boundary with Igabi and Kaduna South Local Government Area to the North - East and with Kajuru to the GI= Gross Income (Naira/ha) East, Birnin Gwari and Giwa Local Government Area to the NFI = Net Farm Income (Naira/ha) North - West and Kachia Local Government Area to the South East.