Theory question 101
Agricultural DevelopmentDiscuss briefly the ways in which the following factors contribute to the problems of agricultural development in Nigeria:
(a) finance
(b) farm input
(c) transportation
(d) storage and processing facilities.
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(a) Finance: farmers are poor, lack collateral for loans, interest rates are high and loans come late, so they cannot expand or buy inputs
(b) Farm inputs: improved seeds, fertilizers, chemicals and machines are scarce, costly, adulterated or arrive late, so yields stay low
(c) Transportation: bad rural roads and few vehicles make inputs costly and produce cannot reach markets; perishable produce spoils
(d) Storage and processing: lack of stores and processing plants causes heavy post-harvest losses and forces sale at harvest-time low prices
Explain how each factor holds back farming.