Advances in Agriculture and Agricultural Sciences

Advances in Agriculture and Agricultural Sciences ISSN 2381-3911 Vol. 6 (3), pp. 001-007, March, 2020. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Gross margin analysis and constraints to yam production in Osun State, Nigeria

Omojola, Joseph Toba

Anambra state University, Igbariam campus. E-mail: [email protected].

Accepted 09 November, 2019

Abstract

This study examined the gross margin and constraint to yam production in Osun State, Nigeria. Multistage, purposive and simple random sampling techniques were used to select 160 respondents for the study. Well structured questionnaires were administered to the respondents to obtain data. Descriptive statistics and gross margin analysis were used to analyze the data. Results revealed that majority (62.5%) were males, 90.3% were within the age range of 49 years and below, 58.3% were married, 70.9% had 6 - 20 years of farming experience and all the respondents had one form of formal education or the other. The enterprise was profitable based on the positive values of gross margin (N152,685,340), net farm income (N147,384,681) and net return on investment (0.92). Production was most seriously constrained by lack of capital, scarcity/ high cost of quality seed yams, high cost of labour, pests and diseases infestation and lack of modern technology. Yam farmer’s problems would be meliorated by the injection of more funds into agricultural production activities and the production of seed yams using yam minisett techniques. This would improve efficiency, enterprise profitability and sustainability.

Key words: Gross margin, constraints, yam production, Osun State, Nigeria.