Profitability of Sugarcane Production and Its Contribution to Farm Income of Farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria

Abstract

Aims: Aims of the study were to determine how profitable is sugarcane production and its contribution to farm income of farmers in Kaduna state. Study Design: Primary data were collected for this study from sugarcane farmers through the use of well structured questionnaires. Place and Duration of Study: This study was carried out in Maigana Agricultural Zone of Kaduna state, Nigeria between September and December 2014 cropping season. Methodology: Multistage-stage sampling technique was employed for data collection. Results: A total of 330 respondents were randomly selected and interviewed. The net farm income of sugarcane farmers in the study area per hectare was realized to be N78,036.05 k. The results also revealed that the average return on investment was N1.83 k; meaning that for every N1 invested in sugarcane production in the study area, a profit of N1.83 k was realized by the farmers. Also, sugarcane production in the study area contributed averagely to about 19.55% of the farmers’ annual farm income. Conclusion: It is concluded that sugarcane production in the study area was profitable despite the problems encountered; that none of the farmers solely depended on sugarcane farming as his only source of income; rather majority of them (i.e. about 80%) earned most of their income from other sources annually.