COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE UTILIZATION OF IMPROVED COCOA PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES BY RURAL FARMERS IN CROSS RIVER AND AKWA IBOM STATES, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study comparatively assessed the utilization of improved cocoa production technologies by rural farmers in Cross River and Akwa Ibom States, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed to collect data for the study from 240 respondents using a structured questionnaire and FGD. The study data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Major results showed that in Cross River State, the highly utilized improved cocoa production technology was Control of black pod disease with fungicides (x̄ =3.91), while the farmers in Akwa Ibom State utilized most of the technology on weed control with herbicides (x̄ = 3.65). However, the grand means of x̄ = 3.38 and x̄ = 3.22 recorded in Cross River and Akwa Ibom States, respectively, indicated that there was a high level of utilization of improved cocoa production technologies. In Cross River State, the result showed that the high cost of labour (x̄ = 3.59) was a very serious constraint, while in Akwa Ibom State, the activities of middlemen came first (x̄ = 3.65) as a very serious constraint to the utilization of technologies. The grand mean scores of 3.20 recorded in Cross River State and 3.07 in Akwa Ibom State implied that the constraints that affected the utilization of technologies were very serious. The study concluded that rural farmers in both States faced very serious constraints in utilizing the technologies and therefore recommended that the government should intervene to reduce the high cost of labour and check the activities of middlemen to boost utilization of the technologies.

Keywords: Constraints; Utilization; Improved Cocoa production technologies, rural households