THE SUSTAINABILITY OF AGRICULTURE IN NIGERIA USING RUBBER AS A CASE STUDY

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

The history of natural rubber production in Nigeria began in 1894 with the exploitation of Funtumia elastic, indigenous wild rubber. The wild trees that yielded rubber were, however, ruined by poor tapping systems, and the export of wild rubber dropped sharply. In a search for sources of natural rubber to supply the demand of a rapidly expanding automobile industry, Heavea brasiliensis (Muell Arg.) was found to be the best source of the plant because of its singular ability to renew its bark and thus ensure a sustained harvest. It was introduced into Nigeria from Kew Gardens, England around 1895 with the first rubber estate planted at Sapele in 1903 and a second one at Nkisi in the then eastern region in 1912. By 1925, some 1,000 hectares of European owned estates existed in Southwestern Nigeria (Uraih, 1980).

 

Rubber is grown in Edo, Delta, Ondo, Ogun, Abia, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers, Ebonyi, and Bayelsa States where the amount of rainfall is between 1,800 mm and 2,000 per annum (Aigbekaen, Imarhiagbe, & Omokhafe, 2000). Natural rubber performs three main functions in the national economy of Nigeria: it provides raw materials for the agro- based industries and foreign exchange earnings as in Table 1, places Nigeria in the world map as a net exporter of rubber, and lastly, it offers employment to a sizeable segment of the Nigerian farming population (Abolagba, 2003). In 1990 Nigeria overtook Liberia as the largest rubber producer in Africa. Production rose from 60,000 tons in 1986 to 147,000 tons in 1990. It dropped to 125,000 tons in 1995 and 107,000 tons in 2,000 but went up again in 2003 to 142,000 tons and remained at 142,000 in 2004. (Table 2).

The Nigerian rubber industry has enormous potential for its sustainable growth and development, and the neglect it has suffered creates a need to conduct research that will help address the situation and help the sustainability of the agricultural industry through rubber production.

 

Table 1.

World Price of Natural Rubber 1988 – 2003

Year	World market price
	(N /kg)
1988	1.50
1989	2.00
1990	1.40
1991	5.30
1992	12.52
1993	24.10
1994	34.40
1995	34.78
1996	59.92
1997	56.72
1998	NA
1999	57.89
2000	59.40
2001	69.80
2002	95.67
2003	113.89

Source: Abolagba et al., (2003), CBN Annual Reports and Statement of Account (Various issues).

 

Table 2.

Major Cash Crops Production Outputs (1,000 tons)

Crops	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Oil palm fruit	7,800	7,750	7,750	7,800	8,000	8,220	8,500	8,500	8,600	8,700
Palm kernels	543	548	545	545	562	577	579	608	610	610
Palm oil	860	776	810	845	896	899	903	908	910	910
Cocoa beans	203	323	318	370	225	338	340	340	361	366
Coffee	3,090	3,780	3,700	3,700	3,750	3,830	3,850	3,910	3,320	3,520
Rubber	125	130	120	120	107	107	108	112	142	142
Seed cotton	251	301	341	348	381	399	402	403	397	417
Cotton lint	95	116	130	135	145	147	148	150	140	140
Cotton seed	153	183	208	212	236	247	248	250	250	250
Sugar cane	589	615	675	675	682	695	705	747	739	776

Source: FAOSTAT data 2005. (Accessed June 26, 2005)

 

It can be said from the above table that the price of rubber is steadily increasing and that this trend will continue to make rubber a huge source of income. This is why it is important to sustain it as an agricultural commodity.

 

Aims and Objectives

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the sustainability of agriculture in Nigeria when considering rubber and the challenges encountered and proffer solutions on how this can be tackled by both the government and the public and international bodies to meet the desires of Nigerian agricultural industry. My aim is to identify any positive or negative impacts of the policies of trade liberalization with a view of coming up with policy proposals that will:

• Enhance the positive impacts
• Mitigate the negative impacts
• Promote coherence and sustainability of agricultural trade policy

This would be achieved by considering the following secondary objectives:

1. To examine the inputs and outputs that will boost the Nigerian agricultural industry
2. To study and proffer solutions to enhance the growth of the Nigerian agricultural industry
3. To create awareness in the government and relevant agencies about the merits of rubber production in Nigeria
4. To evaluate the effect on socioeconomic characteristics by rubber
5. To know the constraints of rubber production in Nigeria and provide useful information that will boost its sustainability.

The information obtained from this research will be of great benefit to the country of Nigeria because of the many important uses of rubber. Rubber helps the country’s economy because it is a source of income, which is especially important in a country such as Nigeria where the agricultural sector, which should be generating a huge amount of income for the government, is in a state of neglect. This research will highlight the need to sustain and empower the agricultural sector. Rubber is one major crop found in abundance in Nigeria that could help achieve a much-needed alternative source of funding.

 

Method and Research Design

This project involves quantitative means of research. For the purpose of this study, the following methodology is employed:

Secondary and primary data on yield, domestic and world prices, gross margin, net income, prices of agrochemicals, levels of use of fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides were collected as these help stress the importance of its sustainability.

A structured questionnaire was administered to farmers in rubber producing states in Nigeria. Sampling method and oral interview was used to get data from government and related agencies, rubber farmers, and the public.

Frequency counts and percentages were used to analyze the data collected.

Evaluation of government policies relating to the agricultural sector was accomplished.

 

Justification of Study

Agriculture is the principal source of food and livelihood in Nigeria and employs nearly two quarters of the nation’s workforce. Rubber has the potential to be a major source of finance to Nigeria. Over the past 2 decades, agricultural yields with reference to rubber have stayed the same or declined. In spite of the predominance of the petroleum subsector in Nigeria’s economic growth and development, agriculture remains a major source of economic resilience. Increasing and sustaining agricultural productivity should be a critical component of programs that seek to reduce poverty and attain food security in Nigeria. Considering this, this study helps enlighten on the present trends and practices of rubber in Nigeria with regards to the selected study area, shortcomings of rubber production, marketing and sustainability in Nigeria. This study help explains the socio-demographic characteristics of the rubber in Nigeria with regards to the study area, the effects of various government activities and rural- urban migration on sustainability of rubber as perceived by the rubber farmers, the level of awareness of the rubber farmers of the various advances in rubber technical practices and materials, and the effects and level of awareness of various sources of information about rubber as the availability and awareness of all these are very essential for sustainability. This study is essential considering sustainability of rubber as an agricultural produce is vital to the Nigerian economy.