Effect of Covid-19 Pandemic on Productivity of Rice Farmers in Ihitte/Uboma L.G.A, Imo State
2025
Eze, E.U. | Ehirim, N.C. | Enyia, C.O. | Okata, U.E. | Abana, P.C. | Effiong, J.A.L.
The study analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rice farmers in Ihitte/Uboma L.G.A. The study's objectives were to look at the socioeconomic traits of rice farmers, assess how much COVID-19 has affected the productivity of rice farming, and pinpoint the challenges that rice farmers faced during the COVID-19 lockdown. A basic random sample method was used to choose a total of 60 respondents. A well-structured questionnaire was used to gather the data, and the Heckman two-stage selection model, Likert-5 scale, and descriptive statistics were used for analysis. The findings indicated that 96.7 percent of respondents were men, 50% of farmers were between the ages of 51 and 60, and 61.6 percent of respondents had completed secondary education. Heckman's two-stage selection model resulted in a significant farm size of 1 percent, which positively correlated with the amount of rice produced during the COVID-19 lockdown. The research indicates that rice farmers in the study area were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic due to high costs of agricultural inputs and lack of market access due to the federal government's no-movement/downsizing policy. The Likert-5 scale results with an average score of 4.7, 4.2, and 3.1, respectively, showed that high production costs, lack of access to inputs, and a decline in rice demand were the major challenges during the COVID-19 lockdown. According to the study, rice farmers can lessen their labor by using agricultural machinery. The study suggests that rice farmers employ agricultural machinery to expand their farms' size and lessen their workload, both of which increase rice productivity. The price of agricultural inputs like fertilizers and insecticides should be subsidized by the government, in order for rice farmers to affordably buy these farming supplies.
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