Traditional salt processing activities of rural women in Ebonyi State, Nigeria

Abstract

The traditional salt processing activities of rural women in Ebonyi State, Nigeria was investigated. Two Local Government Areas were purposively selected out of the 13 LGAs in the state and a total of 90 respondents were used for the study. Frequency, percentage and mean score were used in data analysis. Most (68%) of the respondents belonged to salt makers group. The majority (98.9%) of the salt makers indicated that their method of salt production involved pan evaporation with firewood. About 63% of the salt makers engaged in salt production during the dry season. A greater percentage (63.2%) indicated that they fetch brine as the need arises. The majority (86.6%) indicated using ash to filter the brine, while the majority (97.2%) reported that it takes less than 1 day to produce filtrate. About 67% of the women produced 6-10 bags of salt in a month while 53.4% sold 7-10 bags in a month. Salt makers sold salt at an average price of N3,650 per bag. Findings show that 24.7% earned N10,000- N19,999 per month. Major contributions of salt making to the wellbeing of households were: medicinal value (M=2.96), payment of children/ward school fees (M=2.96), better feeding and nutrition (M=2.93). Government should provide aids to the salt processors by providing the basic infrastructure to improve the quality and quantity of salt produced.