Economic Analysis of Beekeeping in Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study was carried out to analyze the economics of beekeeping in Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State, Nigeria. Data were obtained using structured questionnaire. Three (3) wards (extension blocks) were purposely selected out of the eleven (11) wards to reflect areas where beekeeping is predominantly found. A total of 100 respondents were randomly and proportionately selected from the three (3) wards and used for the study. Descriptive statistics, budgetary technique and multiple regression were used as analytical tools. The result indicates that majority (90%) were male, most of them (56%) had between 20 – 40 colonies, 44% had primary education and 40% had between 16 – 20 years beekeeping experience in the study area. The results of multiple regression analysis indicate that the coefficients of age, number of colony owned and gender were positive and significant at 5% and 10%, respectively. Costs and returns analysis indicates that gross revenue, total cost and net farm income were N14,234.17, N5,260.65 and N8,973.74 per colony, respectively. Inadequate credit, theft, bush burning, absconding of bees and inadequate improved technologies were some of the major problems militating against beekeeping in the study area. It was recommended that extension agents in the state should be property trained and provided with all the necessary technological packages required to teach and guide farmers on improved beekeeping to reduce cost of production, farmers engaged in beekeeping should form cooperative groups that will enable them obtain credit from government and financial institutions and non-governmental organisations in collaboration with farmers cooperative groups should provide improved beekeeping technologies at subsidized rate to the farmers.

Keywords: Beekeeping, Economic analysis, Borno State

Nigerian Journal of Basic and Applied Science (2011), 19(2): 285-292