PRODUCTION OF COCOYAM AND THE GROWTH OF NSUKKA ECONOMY OF ENUGU STATE NIGERIA (A STUDY OF EHEALUMONA COMMUNITY)

ABSTRACT The study was on production of cocoyam and the growth of Nsukka Economy of Enugu state Nigeria with reference to Ehealumona, Enugu. Specifically the study are to determined extent of cocoyam production in Economic growth of Nsukka; the performance of cocoyam production system in Nigeria is profitable and thereby improving rural livelihoods; how production of cocoyam increase per capita a of an economy and challenge and effectives strategies for cocoyam production in Ehaalumona, Nsukka. The area of study is Ehealumona, Nsukka Enugu state, Nigeria. The data used for this study were collected through two main sources, namely; Primary and Secondary sources. A sample of 60 was deducted from population of 70 farmers. The statistical tools for analysis were frequency tables and percentages. The study concluded that due to poor storage facilities, post-harvest loss was a constraint to cocoyam production. The post- harvest loss led to poor output and profit. The poor market price was also perceived as a major constraint in cocoyam production. The findings showed that the constraints affecting cocoyam production were lack of government support, high cost of inputs (planting materials, fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides), inadequate access to credit facilities, poor market price, inadequate storage facilities, restriction on land usage by land tenure system, inadequate extension contact, lack of improving varieties of cocoyam, low research on cocoyam, incidences of pest and diseases, and post-harvest or on-farm losses. Therefore governmental agencies should ensure that credit facilities are extended to farmers in cocoyam producing area. This will help in reducing the incidence of insufficient capital being currently faced by farmers. Also there is also the need to assign more extension agents to attend to the farmers as this particular crop has not been given much attention by any governmental agency. Training should be constantly organized so as to keep farmers abreast of improved technologies in production. Farmers especially females should not be discriminated against in land acquisition so as to enable them cultivate more land area for the crop as well as other crops. To this end the land use act should be appropriately amended.