Productivity and Marketing of Poultry Products in Ebonyi State

Abstract

A study was conducted to determine the Productivity and Marketing of Poultry products in Ebonyi State. Data for this study were collected from both primary and secondary sources. The Primary source was collected through the use of interview schedules while the secondary source was collected from Agricultural Daily Farm Records of the various farms visited. Relevant tools such as Frequency distribution Table, Mean and Percentages were used. A four-point Likert scale and Gross Margin analysis were used in analyzing specific objectives. It was observed from the study that male poultry farmers and marketers were 70% while 30% were females. It was also found that 59% of respondents had little or no education. Moreover, the study reveals that a lack of substantial capital advancement affected management system of poultry production. Poor quality feed, birds and high labour cost were the major factors militating against efficient management of poultry farms in the study areas. Result reveals that the problem of diseases, high labour cost, high cost of feed and medication, poor management system and the inability of the poultry farmers to influence the price of their products contributed to the farmer’s   low productivity. Results reveal that the poultry farmers operated at subsistence levels. Constraints such as low capital, a lack of improved management system, and high interest rates on loans among others were major factors militating against their management in poultry farming. Based on these results, provision of interest-free loans, improve management and service delivery, storage facilities and establishments of good marketing network would be a sine qua non towards achieving effective and efficient production and marketing system in the study areas.