ECONOMICS ANALYSIS OF YAM PRODUCTION IN BENUE STATE, NIGERIA

The research is concerned with efficient utilization of farm resource among smallholder yam farmers in Benue State of Nigeria. Over the past 50 years, yam production in Nigeria has shown a tremendous improvement from 3.2 million tonnes per annum in 1960 to 26.2 million tonnes in 2000 and to 45 million tonnes in 2014 (FAO, 2014). Similarly, the area under yam cultivation has increased from 1.3 million hectares in 1960 to 2.6 million hectares in 2000; and to 5.4 million hectares in 2014. Despite the fact that Nigeria is the highest producers of yam in the world; the production is attributed to area increase rather than increase in productivity. This trend of output increase at the expense of area rather than productivity has become a source of concern to policy makers' over time. IITA (2009) also reported that yam production is declining in some traditional producing areas due to declining soil fertility, increasing pest pressures and high cost of labour; and they advocated that smallholder farmers need access to innovations to reduce labour and improve productivity.