COMPLETE SCHOOL PROJECT TOPICS & MATERIALS :
CHAPTERS: Chapter 1-5
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ABSTRACT
This study was carried out on the consumers attitude towards local rice production and consumption in Edo State Nigeria. Two Local Government Areas (LGAs) were selected for the study and from each, two communities were randomly selected. Five wards from each community were selected, from where five respondents per ward were interviewed. The results showed that 93% of the respondents consumed local rice but only 26% consumed more of local rice than the imported. Also, 42% of the respondents consumed local rice for its relative cheaper price in addition, 80% of the respondents purchased their rice from the market while 82% spent less than 24% of their income on rice consumption. The attitude of the respondents from the study showed that, they were indifferent in their preference of local rice to imported rice, but they showed unfavourable attitudes towards importation of rice at the expense of the locally produced one given the favourable natural resources at the nation’s disposal. It was recommended that, since the people desired an improvement in the production of local rice, the improvement would likely be in the area of processing which has much to be desired compared with the imported in terms of neatness and attractiveness, efforts must therefore, be made to make the rice more attractive. This can be accomplished by adopting the use of much improved technology.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTON
This chapter deals with the introduction to the study. It gives a brief background to the study, statement of the problem, research questions, objectives of the study, significance of the study and definition of terms.
1.1 Background of the study
Rice (Oryza sativa) is a cereal which has become a staple food of considerable importance in many African Countries, where its consumption among urban and rural poor households has increased considerably (Wudil et al., 2015). Population growth and urbanization are the principal factors driving increased rice production in Nigeria (Onu et al 2015). There are about twenty-three species of rice out of which only two species have been known for their commercial cultivation. These two species are Oryza sativa (Asian rice) and Oryza glaberrima (African rice). The dominant rice species is Oryza sativa, which is believed to have origin in South-East Asia. Today, it is cultivated in Asia, Africa, Europe, Oceania and the Americas. In Africa, Oryza sativa has now almost fully replaced the local species Oryza glaberrima, which was grown as a main staple crop in Western Africa earlier. The “red” or “black” rice also has some popularity in the Western countries where they are sold as specialties. Some wild rice varieties are regarded as important weeds in the cultivation of Oryza sativa and some of them are also used in the breeding programs for O. sativa.’
Nigeria has therefore, not been able to produce enough rice for domestic consumption consequent to the mass rice importation with its unattractive consequences on the nation’s economy (Daramola, 2005). Globally, there is the need for increase in rice production from 586 million metric tons in 2001 to 756 million metric tons by 2030 (WARDA/USAID, 2003).
Efforts of the various governments and donor agencies have been recorded in policy making, such as in the River Basin Authorities, which had the mandate of cultivating and irrigating the soil among other things for rice production, increase in awareness of improved inputs and credit facility (Bamidele et al., 2010). Despite that these efforts, coupled with those of researches and extension, have not correspondingly translated to sufficient rice production, much more so, there is a higher taste by the people for imported rice (Lancon, 2003). Some of the peoples’ complaint for their distaste for local rice has been its poor-quality comparative with imported rice. The general observation is that “local rice does not taste well; it is stony and such things”. However, these observations are mainly attributed to poor processing methods which allow a mixture of rice products with pebbles (Kassali et al., 2010).
The per capita annual consumption of rice in Nigeria accelerated from 1.6 kg in 1960 to approximately 31.6 kg per annum in 2013, an increase driven by growth in population, urbanization, increases in per capita income, and changes in preferences for rice meals (Gyimah-Brempong, et al., 2016; Omojola, et al., 2006). For instance, the average annual growth rate of population increased from 2.2% in the 1960s to 2.9% in 2013 (World Bank, 2014). This population growth induced a rapid increase in food consumption, especially rice. Similarly, since 1970, Nigeria has consistently experienced increase in per capita income due to inflows of petro-dollars, pushing up food per capita consumption in general and rice per capita consumption in particular. These increases in per capita income have been responsible for some of the changes that have occurred in Nigerians’ consumer taste and preferences for rice predominantly (Abayomi, et al., 2010).
However, outputs from local rice production in Nigeria is not commensurate with the increase in demand for rice since 1970, resulting in the widening of the local supply-demand deficit (Damisa, et al., 2013). As a result, the annual increase in local rice production lags significantly behind the annual increase in local demand. This slow growth in local rice production has widened the gap between local supply and demand for rice in Nigeria, revealing that self-sufficiency ratio in terms of local production is on a continuous decline. However, to halt this annual deficit, Nigeria has expended substantial foreign exchange earnings to import rice (Amusan and Ayanwale, 2012).
In fact, the inability of the rice subsector to produce enough rice for local consumption reflects the neglect of the subsector over the years by successive governments. A situation traced mainly to the shift of emphasis by government’s annual expenditure associated with the discovery of crude petroleum in the 1970s (Nchuchuwe, 2012). As earnings from crude petroleum became the most important contributor to government revenue, emphasis of government expenditure shifted, to the detriment of the agricultural sector (Abbass, 2012). An important outcome of petro-dollar inflow is the downgrading of agricultural pursuits, thus making agricultural activities less profitable and less attractive to the youths.
Evidence from the past studies has shown that, the Nigerian local rice has failed to meet the demand of her teeming population not only in quantity but also in quality, largely, due to neglect of the agricultural sector by successive governments (Ogazi, 2009). The crux of this study is therefore hinged on the attitude of the consumers towards local rice production and consumption In Edo State.
1.2 Statement of the problem
Although, Nigeria is the largest producer and consumer of rice in West Africa and in subSaharan Africa (SSA), its local rice supply-demand deficit has persistently expanded. Also, in spite of the fact that Nigeria’s local rice production has increased since the 1990s, the increase has not been sizeable enough to satisfy local rice demand (Johnson et al., 2013). Consequently, this has resulted in a large domestic supply-demand gap, leading to massive importation of rice products (Aminu, et al., 2012).
The imbalance between Nigerian rice cultivation and consumption is a significant long-term concern. According to the outlook from the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute’s (FAPRI) Database, (2007), the local demand for rice and allied products was projected to rise to 7.2 million metric tons by 2018, while local production of milled rice is projected to reach only 3.7 million metric tons. By implication, the local supply gap of 3.5 million metric tons must be filled by the importation of rice in order to avoid hunger and disease by 2018. Thus, Nigeria will need to allocate more foreign exchange earnings for the importation of rice in order to meet local supply gap in the future (GAIN, 2012).
Estimates, however, showed that locally milled rice output as a ratio of total domestic demand defined as self-sufficiency ratio was 75.0% in the 1960s and 1970s. This dropped to 68.4% in the 1980s and 1990s and has trimmed down steadily to 53.8% by 2013. The problem of massive importation of rice in Nigeria is better appreciated by the available statistics that show Nigeria as the second largest global importer of rice after China in 2013 (USDA, 2012).
The desire to stem increasing local rice supply deficit and reverse persistent rice importation prompted Federal Government policy actions and interventions. These government actions and interventions were further motivated by available evidence that Nigeria is naturally endowed with viable ecologies suitable for massive cultivation of different rice varieties and therefore should not rely on importation of rice to feed her population (Adesina, 2012).
In other words, simply growing more rice paddies will not guarantee the displacement of imports so long as the processing sector is unable to absorb the increase or improve product quality. The critical question at stake is whether these positive signs and ongoing efforts are going to be sufficient for Nigerian local rice to compete more effectively with imported ones over time or not? Against the backdrop of this research, the study sought to examine the consumers attitude towards local rice production and consumption in Edo State Nigeria.
1.3 Objectives of the study
The main objective of the study is to assess the consumers attitude towards local rice production and consumption in Edo State Nigeria. Specifically, this study sought to:
- ascertain the degree of local rice consumption.
- identify the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents.
- determine the consumers attitude towards local rice production and consumption.
- determine the effect of respondents’ socio- economic characteristics on local rice production and consumptions.
1.4 Research questions
- What is the degree of local rice consumption?
- What are the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents?