ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF YAM PRODUCTION IN EKITI STATE, NIGERIA

This study examined the economics of Yam Production in Ekiti State. Four local government areas (Ikole, Ise, Irepodun/Ifelodun, and Ekiti South-West) were purposively selected based on their level of yam production. Multi-stage sampling technique was adopted for this research and a total number of 100 respondents were interviewed. Descriptive statistics, budgetary analysis and regression analysis were employed for data analysis. Socio-economic analysis shows that average age of yam producers in the study area was 47 years and majority (66%) of them were males. Most of the respondents were married (46%). Education-wise, a significant percentage possessed primary education (46%), and a few have tertiary education (10%) implying a relatively high level of basic education. Approximately 42% have 1 to 5 years of farming experience, with farm size of 1-5 hectares (73%). The result of budgetary analyses showed that yam production was profitable with an average net farm income of ₦1,396,612.17 per hectare. The constraints faced by yam farmers were also investigated. The most significant constraint was pest and diseases, with a mean score of 4.33, closely followed by poor storage facilities with mean of 4.20. Lack of access to improved yam varieties was ranked third with mean of 4.17, while poor roads and inadequate labor supply were ranked fourth and fifth, respectively with means of (4.13 and 4.08) respectively.