Value Chain Financing: A Survey of Micro/Small Holder Rice Farmers in Southeast, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of value chain financing on rice production in the five South- Eastern States of Nigeria, with a focus on micro/smallholder rice farmers. It became imperative to examine this relationship since all the major government policies to boost rice production in Nigeria are yet to yield commensurate result. The study applied survey research, which involved the use of questionnaires to gather data from the respondents. Correlations between the transformed questions were determined using the Pearson Product Moment techniques. The research targeted micro/smallholder rice farmers scattered over 1000 hectares of rice farmland in the Southeast States of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo. Specifically, the rice farming zones of Abakiliki, Ikwo, Adada, Onuimo, Uboma, Igbariam, Anambra South, Bende and Isuikwuato were targeted. The main government registered Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria featured prominently in the research. The test of hypotheses with regression test on the final study revealed the following: that micro and smallholder rice farmers in the Southeast of Nigeria were not properly integrated into Value Chain Financing. It was also found that micro/smallholder rice farmers did perceive benefits derived from modern Value Chain Financing. Again, Governments had been doing much in the promotion of micro/smallholder rice farming value chain financing in the Southeast. Also, that Value Chain Financing constraints/challenges were not hinderances to the growth of micro and smallholder rice farmers in the Southeast. It was found that these farmers had not received adequate incentives from their existing value chains. It was disclosed as well that the farmers in the Southeast were not motivated to joining value chains. It was also revealed that farmers had not perceived trust and creditworthiness among member

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