Estimating the Productivity and Profitability of Rice and Pepper on Fields of the Irrigation Company Upper Region (ICOUR) in Ghana

James Anaba Akolgo*

Department of Ecological Agriculture, Bolgatanga Technical University, Upper East Region, Ghana, West Africa.

Corresponding Author’s Email: akonabaj@gmail.com

DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.12944/CARJ.9.2.05

Abstract:

This study evaluates the Estimating the Productivity and Profitability of Rice and Pepper on the Project fields of the Irrigation Company Upper Region (ICOUR) in Ghana. Gross margin analysis was employed to estimate farm level profits at the two sites. Then, paired t-test (mean-comparison test) was applied to compare the productivity and profitability of rice and pepper farms at the two irrigation sites. Farm level data was collected from 113 (ie. 77 from Tono and 36 from Vea) crop farmers for the study. The finding shows that 0.53ha rice field and 0.34ha pepper field would yield averagely 1.6tons and 1.4tons of paddy rice and fresh pepper, respectively. This gives gross margins (profits) of Ghȼ1,041.06 and Ghȼ10,316.75 per hectare from the rice and pepper fields, respectively. The average productivity from the rice and pepper fields were 3.088Mt ha^-1 and 4.286Mt ha^-1, respectively. The study concludes that it is more productive and profitable to produce rice and pepper at Tono as compared to the Vea irrigation site. The gross margin was, however, higher on pepper fields as compared to the rice fields at both irrigation sites. The study recommends that crop farmers in the study areas should invest more on the production of pepper at both irrigation areas. Also, there is the need for the farmers to adopt yield-boosting practices such as the use of improved seeds, adopt good soil fertility management practices, efficient irrigation water delivery system and mechanisation services for optimum yields and higher income.

Keywords:

Gross Margin; Irrigation Project; Multi-Stage Sampling Method; Productivity; Profitability

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