EFFECT OF CONNECT POTATO VARIETY ON FARM PRODUCTIVITY IN PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA
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Date
2020
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Abstract
In a bid to overcome the challenge of potato blight disease that has greatly lowered potato
productivity in Nigeria, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
project in collaboration with the National Root Crops Research Institute, introduced the Connect
potato variety. The Connect potato variety is high yielding, blight resistant with a large tuber size
and highly palatable. However, there is dearth of information on whether it has had any impact on
potato farming or not. This study therefore examined the effect of the Connect potato variety on
farm productivity in Plateau State, Nigeria. The objectives of the study were to: (i) estimate the
level of usage of the Connect potato variety; (ii) identify the factors affecting the usage of the
variety; (iii) compare the level of farm productivity of the two categories of farmers; (iv) compare
the production efficiency of Connect potato variety with the local variety; (v) estimate the costs
and return to potato production between the Connect users and non-users; and (vi) determine the
effect of the Connect potato usage on farm productivity.
The target population was potato farmers in the state. A two-stage sampling technique was used
to draw a sample of 302 respondents from a total population of 10,213 potato farmers in the eight
producing Local Government Areas. From the selected 302 respondents, 74 of them were users of
the Connect variety while 228 were non-users. Cross-sectional data was used and were collected
using a well-structured questionnaire. The statistical tools used for analysis were Heckman
selection model, stochastic frontier model, total factor productivity index, gross margin analysis
and the propensity score matching.
The findings of the study were that:
i. the average quantity of Connect potato variety planted by the users was 1485kg/ha which is
low when compared to the required 3000kg per hectare;
ii. the amount of credit (t-value = 3.39; p < 0.01), Connect seed price (t-value = 1.69; p < 0.1),
membership of association (t-value = 1.91; p < 0.05), off-farm income (t-value = 1.66; p <
0.1), perception of variety’s relative importance (t-value = 2.33; p < 0.05) and availability (tvalue = 8.67; p < 0.01) were the factors affecting the usage of Connect potato variety;
iii. the Connect users had a significantly (t-stat = 2.37; p < 0.05) higher total factor productivity
index (4.94) than the non-users (3.92);
iv. the mean technical efficiency of the Connect users (88%) was significantly higher than that
of the non-users (77%) (t-stat = 4.516; p < 0.01);
v. the profitability estimates showed that the users and non-users have a gross margin of
₦1,869,122.1 and ₦722,040.79 per hectare, respectively; and
vi. the users were better off in productivity by 1.09 units (t-stat = 2.00; p < 0.05); technical
efficiency by 12% (t-stat = 4.16; p < 0.01) and returns on capital invested by ₦1.34 (t-stat =
3.86; p < 0.01).
The study concluded that the use of Connect potato variety improved the productivity of potato
farms and therefore recommended that farmers be encouraged to adopt the variety through
effective sensitization programmes by the Ministry of Agriculture and other relevant agencies.