Environmental Effects Of The Use Of Agro- Chemicals For Rice Cultivation In Ufuma, Orumba North Local Government Area; Anambra State

Environmental Effects Of The Use Of Agro- Chemicals For Rice Cultivation In Ufuma, Orumba North Local Government Area; Anambra State

Farm chemicals

Abstract

The study precisely determined the enterprise profitability, ascertained the factors of maximum variable profit, and identified restrictions to rice production in order to examine the profitability of rice production in the Aguata Agricultural Zone of Anambra State, Nigeria. 90 rice growers were chosen for the study using multistage, purposeful, and random sampling approaches. Primary data were gathered via a structured questionnaire, and data analysis methods included means, percentages, corporate budgeting, and profit function regression. The firm was lucrative, as evidenced by the gross margin of N4,278,961, net farm income of N3,858,516, mean net farm income of N42,872,40, and net return on investment of 0.37. At the 5% level, the per unit prices of labor, output, and farm size all statistically and significantly affected the maximum variable profit. The two biggest obstacles to the production of rice were determined to be the high cost of labor and a lack of capital. The difficulties may be reduced and the farmers’ productivity and income could be increased by ensuring that they have simple access to credit facilities and by providing new rice production methods and inputs at discounted rates through the delivery of improved extension services.

Introductions

In terms of worldwide production, rice (Oryzea spp.) is in second place behind maize and wheat and is one of the main staple foods of the globe (Adeoye, 2003). For roughly half of the world’s population, it is a significant source of food and meets their basic energy requirements. Rice farming has been a long-standing industry in Nigeria that offers a source of work and food to the huge and diversified population of the nation. In terms of planted area and output, it is placed fourth among main cereal crops in Nigeria, behind sorghum, millet, and maize (Babafada, 2003). The demand and consumption patterns of rice over time provide a clear explanation for its significance in the Nigerian diet. Beginning with the 1960s, when just 360 metric tonnes of locally produced rice were able to satisfy local demand, to the 1.45 million tonnes produced in the 1990s, which again fell far short of demand (National Cereals Research Institute [NCRI] 2004), very little local production of rice has been able to keep up with demand. The country now produces just about 3 million tonnes annually, which is a far cry from its yearly demand of 5–6 million tonnes (Ugwu, 2013). According to Ugwu (2013), the shortfall is typically supplied by imports, with estimates ranging from 1.7 to 3.2 million tonnes.