ECONOMIC STUDY OF THE USE OF ORGANIC MANURE IN YELLOW PEPPER (Capsicum annuum L.) PRODUCTION IN NSUKKA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF ENUGU STATE

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 NsukkaLocal Government Area of Enugu State was carried out. The study was aimed at;describing the socio economic characteristics of yellow pepper farmers, identifyingfactors that motivate the use of organic manure by yellow pepper farmers,determining the yellow pepper farmers’ willingness to pay for processedbiodegradable waste, determining and comparing the costs and returns from organicmanure use only and users of both organic manure and mineral fertilizer. NsukkaLocal Government was purposively selected for the study because of their high levelof involvement in the production of the crop from nursery to maturity. A multi stagerandom sampling technique was used in the selection of the town communities.Primary data were generated through the use of structured questionnaire. Descriptivestatistics, probit model Gross margin analysis and student t-test were employed in data

analysis.

The study showed that all yellow pepper farmers studied maintained theirsoil either by the use of organic manure only or use of organic manure supplementedwith inorganic manure. 79% of the farmers maintained their soil through the use oforganic manure sourced from poultry droppings. It was also observed that income, ageand educational level of farmers were very important determinants of willingness touse and willingness to pay for organic manure. These parameters were consistent insign in both ‘willingness to use’ and ‘willingness to pay’ models. A significantdifference (-0.374 at 1%) between the net profits made by the two groups of farmersunder study revealed the need to diversify organic manure source through waste

recycling for prompt supply of organic manure at affordable price.
nursery to maturity. A multi stagerandom sampling technique was used in the selection of the town communities.Primary data were generated through the use of structured questionnaire. Descriptivestatistics, probit model Gross margin analysis and student t-test were employed in data

analysis.

The study showed that all yellow pepper farmers studied maintained theirsoil either by the use of organic manure only or use of organic manure supplementedwith inorganic manure. 79% of the farmers maintained their soil through the use oforganic manure sourced from poultry droppings. It was also observed that income, ageand educational level of farmers were very important determinants of willingness touse and willingness to pay for organic manure. These parameters were consistent insign in both ‘willingness to use’ and ‘willingness to pay’ models. A significantdifference (-0.374 at 1%) between the net profits made by the two groups of farmersunder study revealed the need to diversify organic manure source through waste

recycling for prompt supply of organic manure at affordable price