Effect of Agricultural Promotion Policy on Rice Production Output among Smallholder Farmers in Adani Uzo- Uwani Local Government Area, Enugu State

Several agricultural policies have been enacted and implemented over the decades in Nigeria, but the agricultural sector is yet to maximize its potential and bring about the desired development to the nation. The current policy known as Agricultural Promotion Policy (APP) is expected to unlock the sectors potentials, reduce dependence on crude oil export and ignite the growth of the Nigerian economy. This study assessed the APP effect on rice production output among smallholder farmers in Enugu State, Nigeria. This study was carried out in Adani Uzo- Uwani Local Government Area. It was designed to assess the effects of the Presidential Initiative on Rice Production and Export on the Output of Rice in the study area. The study focused mainly on output effect of the initiative. This was carried out by comparing the level of rice output before and after the commencement of the initiative in 2015. Two stage random sampling method was used to select 80 respondents from a sample frame of rice farmers. The study revealed that most rice farmers (participant and no-participant) were male (60%) with an average household size of six. The estimated output moved 650 tons in 2016-2017 to 737 in 2018-2019. There was a small increase in the output of rice before and initiative. The study therefore recommends that government and its agencies should make improved planting materials available, always target credit facilities to the rice farmers, provide processing machines like rice destoners, rice threshers, rice millers to improve the quality of the local rice to meet with the standard of foreign rice. Framers should be given opportunities to attend workshop/training designed for this initiative.

数十年来，尼日利亚颁布并实施了多项农业政策，但农业部门尚未充分释放其潜力，未能为国家带来预期的发展成效。当前的《农业促进政策》（Agricultural Promotion Policy, APP）有望解锁该部门的潜能，降低对原油出口的依赖，并推动尼日利亚经济增长。本研究评估了APP对尼日利亚埃努古州小农户水稻产量的影响，研究区域为阿达尼乌佐-乌瓦尼地方政府区，旨在分析总统水稻生产与出口倡议对该区域水稻产量的作用。研究核心聚焦于该倡议的产量效应，通过对比2015年倡议启动前后的水稻产量水平实现评估。研究采用两阶段随机抽样法，从稻农样本框中选取80名受访者。结果显示，大多数稻农（参与者与非参与者）为男性（占比60%），平均家庭规模为6人；估计产量从2016-2017年度的650吨增长至2018-2019年度的737吨，倡议实施前后水稻产量呈小幅上升趋势。基于此，研究提出以下建议：政府及其机构应提供改良种植材料，持续向稻农提供信贷支持，配备稻谷去石机、脱粒机、碾米机等加工设备以提升本地大米品质，使其达到进口大米标准；应为农民提供参与该倡议专项研讨会与培训的机会。