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ABSTRACT
The study was carried out to analyze the profitability of plantain production in Ovia North L.G.A of Edo State, Nigeria. The objectives of the study were to: describe the socio-economic characteristics of plantain farmers, estimate the cost and returns associated with plantain production, examine the determinants of profit and identify the constraints faced by plantain farmers in the study area. The results of the socio-economic analysis show that plantain farming was dominated by male (72%) farmers within the age range of 30 - 39 years, majority of the respondent had a farming experience of 6 – 10 years.
The average costs incurred and revenue obtained per hectare for plantain farmers were estimated to determine the profitability or otherwise of plantain production in the study area. The total revenue is N 1, 251,600 while the total cost is N 305, 658.5. The net farm income is therefore N 945, 941.5. From the figure, it could be concluded that plantain production in the study areas was economically viable. Finally, among the constraints identified in the study was problems faced by plantain farmers include: lack of capital (mean = 2.70) scarcity of labour (mean = 2.68), high cost of planting materials (mean = 2.39), poor access to credit (mean = 1.90), low income of farmers (mean = 1.74) poor price for groundnut (mean = 1.59) and theft. The study also recommended that government should re-introduce commodity board and advised that farmers should form cooperatives groups in order to facilitate access to modern farm inputs as well as credit facilities from lending institutions to the farmers in study area.
