Identification of Efficient Cropping Zones for Cassava Production in Nigeria

Aim: When the productivity of a crop is higher and stable in an area/zone probably due to prevalence of optimum condition for crop growth and yield, it is considered an efficient crop zone. But identification of these cropping efficient zones which also serves to encourage comparative advantage and specialization in crop production may be a challenge to investors desiring to invest in these zones. Therefore this paper sought to investigate the efficient cropping zone for cassava, with a view to providing a practicable guide for policy considerations in production, processing (Such as the staple crop processing zones - SCPZ) and value chain development.

Methodology: To achieve this feat, secondary data collected from Nigerian bureau of statistics (NBS) data portal and the food and agriculture organization (FAO) from 1997-2006 were used to categorize the country into six geo-political zones by using stratified sampling method. Five criteria were adopted based on relative yield index (RYI) and relative spread index (RSI) to determine efficiency of cropping zone by computing the mean yield of a state in relation to country crop yield and state crop area in relation to total crop area in the country.

Results: The results showed that ten (10) states (Akwa Ibom, Benue, Cross River, Enugu, Imo, Kaduna, Kogi, Oyo, Rivers and Taraba) out of thirty one (31) states spread across the six-political zones were identified as the most efficient cropping zones (MECZ) for cassava production. Their RYI values were 115.72, 366.38, 229.88, 234.30, 229.13, 188.60, 271.28, 133.49, 153.77, 171.11 respectively while their RSI values were 153.19, 318.05, 217.32, 238.96, 186.63, 228.27, 206.93, 165.57, 165.52, 174.72 respectively. the south-south geo-political zone had the highest number of states -three (3); south-east was next with two (2) states. Other zones had one each.

Conclusion: The policy implication is that investors can be potentially guided to invest in cassava production and development of value chain from the product. Also uneconomical crops can be replaced with the most economic crops for better returns on investment as well as productivity.