Economic Study Of The Use Of Organic Manure In Yellow Pepper (Capsicum Annuum L.) Production In Nsukka Local Government Area Of Enugu State

ABSTRACT

Economic study of the use of organic manure in yellow pepper production in Nsukka

Local Government Area of Enugu State was carried out. The study was aimed at;

describing the socio economic characteristics of yellow pepper farmers, identifying

factors that motivate the use of organic manure by yellow pepper farmers,

determining the yellow pepper farmers’ willingness to pay for processed

biodegradable waste, determining and comparing the costs and returns from organic

manure use only and users of both organic manure and mineral fertilizer. Nsukka

Local Government was purposively selected for the study because of their high level

of involvement in the production of the crop from nursery to maturity. A multi stage

random sampling technique was used in the selection of the town communities.

Primary data were generated through the use of structured questionnaire. Descriptive

statistics, probit model Gross margin analysis and student t-test were employed in data

analysis. The study showed that all yellow pepper farmers studied maintained their

soil either by the use of organic manure only or use of organic manure supplemented

with inorganic manure. 79% of the farmers maintained their soil through the use of

organic manure sourced from poultry droppings. It was also observed that income, age

and educational level of farmers were very important determinants of willingness to

use and willingness to pay for organic manure. These parameters were consistent in

sign in both ‘willingness to use’ and ‘willingness to pay’ models. A significant

difference (-0.374 at 1%) between the net profits made by the two groups of farmers

under study revealed the need to diversify organic manure source through waste

recycling for prompt supply of organic manure at affordable price.