CONSTRAINTS TO EFFECTIVE RICE FARM MECHANIZATION IN AGRICULTURAL BUSINESS IN ENUGU STATE, NIGERIA.

Abstract

A descriptive survey research on constraints to effective rice farm mechanization in agribusiness in Enugu state, Nigeria between April and November, 2015. The researchers employed purposive sampling approach to select rice producing council areas in the state. Thus, Aninri, Ezeagu, Nkanu east, Isi-uzo, Oji-river and Uzo-uwani were selected. Thereafter, a simple random sampling was adopted to select 133 rice farmers in each of the selected LGAs which gave a sample size of 798 out of target rice farmers’ population of 6,000; while the representatives of the permanent secretary and director in ministry of agriculture were selected to respond to the instrument of data collection. This gave a grand total of 800 respondents used for the study. The researchers used an open ended questionnaire which was validated by an expert in education measurement and evaluation in Enugu State University of Science and Technology before its use. The reliability of the data instrument was 0.82 or 82 % which confirmed its ability to measure consistently what it ought to measure. Data analysis was achieved by use of chi-square(x) and decision rule was Accept chi –square if calculated/observed value is greater than the tabulated value. Data results implicated the following findings: there is little rice farm mechanization in Enugu State, effective rice farm mechanization in Enugu State will encourage youths, use of modern farm implements in massive food production and use of waste lands in fish culture. The study also indicated that earlier state and federal government’s rice farm mechanization were inadequate. It was also found out that there exist many constraints to effective rice farm mechanization in the study area. Based on the results, the researchers concluded that there are several constraints to rice farm mechanization in Enugu state, Nigeria. These include; use of manual threshers, labour, old mill engines, knapsack sprayers and other crude farm implements. Others are lack of improved extension services, irrigation facilities, farm credits, de-stoners / stitching devices, rice planters, combine harvesters, integrated processors boom sprayers, motorized fertilizer applicators.. The researchers recommended the following: