Journal of Agricultural Policy

ISSN: 2520-7458 (Online)

Technical Efficiency of Broiler Production in Delta State, Nigeria

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Journal of Agricultural Policy
ISSN: 2520-7458 (Online)
Vol.6, Issue No.1, pp 49 – 62, 2023 www.carijournals.org
Technical Efficiency of Broiler Production in Delta State, Nigeria
1*
Nwadiolu, Romanus and 2Akpodiete O. J.
1, 2
Department of Agric. Extension & Manage net
Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro
Accepted: 25th Nov 2023 Received in Revised Form: 8th Dec 2023 Published: 22nd Dec 2023

Abstract
Purpose: The study examined the technical efficiency of broiler production in Delta State, Nigeria.
Specifically, it determined the effects of socio-economic characteristics of the farmers on production
output, determined the profitability of broiler production, and established the levels of technical
efficiency attained by the farmers. It also ascertain the socio-economic factors of the farmers that
influence their technical efficiency levels; assessed the nature of returns to scale and elasticities of
broiler production inputs; and identified the constraints to broiler production in the area. A survey
research design approach was used in the study. Multistage random sampling technique was used to
select 240 registered broiler farmers. Primary data were collected in the 2019 production season using
structured questionnaire administered to the respondents by personal interview.
Methodology: Descriptive and parametric statistics such as frequencies, means, percentages, ratios,
enterprise budgeting, profit function regression and Cobb-Douglas stochastic frontier regression
techniques were used in data analysis.
Findings: Findings indicated that broiler production output was significantly influenced by age,
household size, farm size, farming experience and cost of feeds while gender, marital status,
educational level, access to credit and extension visits were not significant. Mean technical efficiency
scores of 0.94 was attained with 0.97 maximum and 0.90 minimum. Output elasticities with respect
to farm size, labour, capital and feeds were 0.42, 0.13, 0.13 and 0.17 respectively. Technical efficiency
of the farmers was significantly influenced by educational level, farming experience, household size,
gender and access to credit, but weakly determined by age. Broiler farms operated at decreasing
returns to scale. Major constraints to broiler production in the area arranged in descending order of
seriousness were high cost of feeds, inadequate capital, high cost of labour, parasites and diseases,
high mortality rate and inadequate feeds.
Unique contributor to theory, policy and practice: Policy measures such as increased budgetary
allocation to livestock production, subsidization of inputs, provision of soft loans to broiler farmers
by relevant institutions, provision of requisite infrastructures and improved funding of extension
agencies to enhance information dissemination to broiler farmers are advocated.
Keywords: Broiler Production, Technical Efficiency, Cobb-Douglas Stochastic Production Frontier
Function Delta State, Nigeria.

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1 Introduction
The poultry industry in Nigeria has undergone a significant transformation from peasant to modern
production system. This can be found in the countryside and urban centers today [ 13]. [29]. As a
result of increase in population and demand for animal protein, different sources of poultry protein
are available, one of which is the broiler, which serve as a good source of animal protein. Studies have
shown that broiler enterprise, apart from its profitability in terms of income to the farmers, broiler
protein is essential for normal physical and mental development of man Food and Agricultural
Organization [14]). In a large number of low-income countries, small-scale household production is
the largest system of poultry production and a substantial source of income and nutrition for poor
households. In Ghana, for example, rural poultry account for 60-80 percent of the national poultry
population [13]. In a small-scale poultry production, the poultry are kept under low-input, low-output
conditions and managed by women and children of the household [27].
In addition, small-scale commercial poultry production farms are generally characterized by flocks’
size ranging from 50-1000 birds of local breeds or exotic-breeds [27]. Farmers usually provide
housing structure made of local materials, purchase part of their feeds, use vaccines and veterinary
services whenever available. This system is more prevalent in urban and semi-urban areas. Output is
usually sold to nearby urban centers with varying degrees of organization in the marketing system,
[27]).
The role of the poultry industry in Nigeria has assumed a significant status over the years in terms of
social, economic and dietary importance to both country and citizenry. The Food and Agriculture
Organization reports that Nigeria produces above 550,000MT of poultry meat per annum and
700,000MT of eggs [15]. This attracts some form of interest because apart from bridging the protein
deficiency gap in our diets, it also empowers the people especially the rural poor economically.
Interestingly, poultry meat and eggs are consumed animal protein without (or little if any at all)
religious or cultural prohibitions in Nigeria. It was recorded that the poultry industry contributed about
25% of the country's agricultural, gross domestic product (GDP) [16]) and meets the needs of man in
meat and egg supply, organic fertilizers, research, medicine and aesthetic value [5]).
Broilers are birds that grow rapidly and reach marketable size after two to three months. They need
enough feeds to maintain their body weight. Traditionally, broiler product has been a part-time or
supplementary enterprise in many Nigeria farms. One or more members of the family may be
employed off the farm or engaged in other farming enterprises [30].
In spite of the nutritive value of poultry meat; its production in the nation is terribly insufficient as
reflected in the wide gap between demand and supply of the product, this could be attributed to various
issues that poultry farmers in Nigeria are facing. The main problem of broiler production in Nigeria
is that of low productivity, high cost of production, inadequate extension services and training
facilities [24]. For Nigerian to be able to solve this issue of deficient animal protein broiler production
must be technically efficient and profitable.

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Inadequate capital, illiteracy and lack of technical experience are some of the most important socio-
economic factors inhibiting broiler poultry production in Nigeria. The technical aspect is of serious
concern because the combination of these limited resources and inputs have important implications
on the output level and to a large extent the trading of meat and poultry products globally [19]. Hence
the capacity to develop technical production practices that are consistent with environmental and
economic conditions is important to boost poultry production in Nigeria. Therefore, the question of
how technically efficient the producers are arises. The ability of broiler poultry farmers to adopt new
technologies and achieve sustainable production depends on their levels of technical efficiency. The
efficiency of input allocation and utilization in any agricultural enterprise enhance the profitability of
such an enterprise [28]. More importantly, examining technical efficiency will not only enable farmers
to increase the use of productive resources, it will also give direction for the adjustment required in
the long run to achieve food production sustainability [24].
The major objective of the study was to examine the technical efficiency and profitability of broiler
production in Delta State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to: determine the effects of socio-
economic characteristics of the farmers on production output; determine the levels of technical
efficiency of the broiler poultry farmers; ascertain the socio-economic factors of the farmers that affect
technical efficiencies of broiler production. and to identify the constraints to broiler production in the
area.
2 Methodology
2.1 The Study Area
Delta State was carved out of the former Bendel State on 27th August, 1991. The State was created
following agitations for the creation of a separate distinct state by the peoples of the old Delta
province. They are Urhobos, Ijaw, Izon, Isoko, Itsekori, Ukwuani, Anioma and Ika. Delta State covers
a landmass of about 18,050km2, of which more than 60% is land. The state lies approximately between
longitude 50.00 and 60.301 North. It is bounded in the North and West by Edo State, the East by
Anambra, Imo and Rivers State, Southeast by Bayelsa State, and on the Southern flank is the Bight of
Benin which covers about 160 kilometres of the state’s coastline. Delta State is generally low-lying
without remarkable hills. The state has a wide coastal belt inter-lace with rivulets and streams, which
form part of the Niger Delta.
The state is ethnically diverse, with various linguistic stocks. It consists of three senatorial districts.
The vast majority of inhabitants are Christian, with very few practicing traditional religion. Delta State
is an oil and agricultural producing State of Nigeria, situated in the region known as the South-South
geo-political zone with a population of 4,112,445 (males: 2,069,309; females:2,043,136) (National
Population Commission (NPC), 2006).
The capital city is Asaba, located at the northern end of the state with an estimated area of 762 square
kilometres (294 square meters). There are 25 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the State (Fig. 3.1).
Agriculture is the predominant occupation in rural areas engaging more than 70% of the rural
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population. The major crops cultivated in the state are cassava, yam, maize, cocoyam, oil palm,
plantain/banana and leafy vegetables. An important feature of the farming system in the upland area
where is there pressure on land is the compound and homestead farms.
2.2 Population and Sampling Procedure
The study population was 482 registered broiler poultry farmers in the twenty-five (25) Local
Government Areas, in the State, namely Ethiope East, Uvwie, Aniocha North, Aniocha South, Ethiope
West, Okpe, Sapele, Udu, Ughelli North, Ughelli South, Ika North East, Ika South, Ndokwa East,
Ndokwa West, Oshimili North, Oshimili South, Ukwani, Bomadi, Isoko North, Isoko South, Patani,
Warri North, Warri South, Warri South West.
These L.G.As are grouped into three Agricultural zones, namely Delta North, Delta South and Delta
Central. Multistage-random sampling method was used to select 240 respondents for the study. At
stage I, four LGAs were randomly selected from each Agricultural zone. This gave a total of 12 LGAs.
Stage II involved random selection of four communities from each of the selected LGAs to arrive at
a total of 48 communities. Finally, Stage III involved the random selection of five broiler poultry
farmers from each of the selected communities, giving a total sample size of 240 broiler poultry
farmers.
2.3 Methods of Data Collection
Data were collected on socio-economic variables of the respondents such as age, gender, household
size, marital status, educational level, amount of credit obtained, sources of income, farming
experience, location of farm and contact with extension agents. Data on production variables such as
farm size, material inputs, labour supply and use, output of broilers with their current market prices,
and broiler production constraints were elicited.
2.4 Estimation Technique for the Stochastic Frontier Production Models
The maximum likelihood estimates (MLE) of the parameters of the mdoel defined in equation (3.2)
and (3.4) and the estimates of farm specific technical efficiency (TE) of equation (3.3) was obtained
using the computer program FRONTIER VERSION 4.1 (Coelli, 1996; [8]The FRONTIER 4.1
program gives the variance parameters (𝜎v2 and 𝜎u2) of the likelihood function in terms of the
following parameterization:
𝜎 2 = 𝛿𝑣2 + 𝛿𝑢2 … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … (3.10)
and
𝛿𝑣2⁄
𝛾= ( )
𝜎 2 , where γ is defined for 0 ≤ γ ≥ 1 … … … … … … … … (3.11)
A number of specification test was performed in order to capture the appropriateness of alternative
model formations. While the asymptotic t-ratios for individual parameters are informative. Chukwuji
(2006) showed that the generalized likelihood ratio (LR) test should be preferred for models involving

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inefficiency variables. The statistic used to test the restrictions on parameters Ho against an alternative
H1 is computed as:
𝐿𝑅 = 2{1𝑛𝐿 (𝐻𝑜) − 1𝑛𝐿 (𝐻1)} … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … (3.12)
Where: L (Ho) denotes the value of the log-likelihood function under the null hypothesis and L (H) is
the value of the log-likelihood function under the alternative hypothesis for any pair of hypothesis
being tested. Under the null hypothesis, this statistic follows a Chi-square (x2) distribution with
appropriate degrees of freedom equal to the number of parameter restrictions.
The null hypothesis involves parameter 𝛾, which as a ratio of two variance is necessarily positive, the
test statistic follows a mixed Chi-Square (x2) distribution and the critical value with degree of freedom
equal to (q + 1) was obtained in Kodde and Palme (1986), where q is equal to the number of parameter
restriction [6].
2.5 Multiple Regression Model Specification
The multiple regression was used to assess the effects of respondent’s socio-economic factors, namely
age (AGE), education (EDU), experience (EXP), household size (HOS), gender (GEN), access to
credit (ACC), marital status (MAS), labour (LAB), cost of feed (COF), farm size (FAS) and Extension
Visits (ETV). The implicit form of the model is given as:
OTP = F(GEN, AGE, MAS, HOS, EDU, EXP, ETV, MCG, LAB, ACC, COF, FAS,)
Where:
Output (OTP) = output of broiler (kilogrammes)
GEN = gender (dummy: male = 1, female = 0)
MAS = marital status (dummy: married = 1, otherwise = 0)
HOS = household size (number)s
EDU = educational level (years)
EXP = years of experience (years)
LAB = labour (man-days)
ACC = access to credit (dummy: accessed credit = 1, otherwise = 0)
COF = cost of feed (Naira)
FAS = farm size (total number of broiler stocked)
ECV = Extension Visits
The production function was fitted with three functional forms, namely linear, exponential, semi-log
and double-log (Cobb-Douglas). The explicit expression of the models are:

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Linear: OTP = b0 + b1GEN + b2AGE + b3MAS + b4EDU + b5EXP + b6LAB + b7ACC + b8COF +
b9FAS + b10ETV
Exponential: lnOTP=bo + bilnGEN + b2lnAGE + b3lnMAS + b4lnEDU + b5lnEXP + b6lnLAB +
b7lnACC + b8lnCOF + b9lnFAS + b10lnETV
Semi – log: OTP = b0 + b1 1n GEN + b2 1n AGE + b3 1n MAS + b4 1n EDU + b5 1n EXP + b6 1n LAB
+ b7 1n ACC + b8 1n COF + b9 1n FAS + b10 1n ETV
Double – log: 1n OTP = 1n b0 + b1 1n GEN + b2 1n AGE + b3 1n MAS + b4 1n EDU + b5 1n EXP +
b6 1n LAB + b7 1n ACC + b8 1n COF + b9 1n FAS + b10 1n ETV
3 Results and Discussion
3.1. Effect of Socio-Economic Characteristics of the Broiler Farmers on Production Output
The effect of socio-economic characteristics (regressors) of broiler farmers on production input
(regressand) was determined using multiple regression analysis. The regressors used included age of
farmers represented by AGE, gender of the farmers (GEN), household size (HHS), marital status
(MAS), farm size (FAS), Educational level (EDL), farming experience (FAE), cost of feed (COF),
access to credit (ACC) and extension visit (EXV). Four functional forms of the regression model
(Linear, Exponential, Semi-log and double-log) were fitted with data and ran using MINITAB
Statistical package. Production output of the linear model (Table 4.1) gave the best result in terms of
number, signs and sizes of the lead equation.
A total of ten regressors were included in the model. Five regressors, namely; age, household size,
farm size, farming experience and cost of feeds were statistically significant while the remaining five
genders, marital status, educational level, amount of credit obtained, and extension visit were not
significant. The coefficients of household size, farm size and farming experience were positive and
statistically significant at 1% level while household size was a significant at 5%. This implies that the
farmers with higher level of household size, farm size, farming experience and Extension visit higher
levels of production output than otherwise and production function analysis.
3.2 Broiler Farmers Technical Efficiency Score.
The distribution of broiler farmers’ technical efficiency scores is shown in Table 4.5, the result
indicated that majority (94.34%) of respondents fell within the technical efficiency range of 0.8 –
1.00. A maximum score of 0.97, minimum of 0.90 and mean value of 0.94 were computed. This
implied that the broiler farmers were technically efficient in broiler production; however mean
technical efficiency gap of 0.10 (10%) still existed.

Table 1: Estimated Technical Efficiency Scores of the Broiler Farmers.

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Range
0.01 – 0.20 - -
0.21 – 0.40 1 0.47
0.41 – 0.60 - -
0.61 – 0.80 11 5.16
0.81 – 1.00 200 94.34
Mean - 0.94
Maximum - 0.97
Minimum - 0.90
Source: Computed from survey data, 2020.
The gap created by the inefficiency levels suggested that opportunity existed for increasing
productivity and income through increased efficiency in resource utilization by broiler farmers in
Delta State. The finding is in consonance with Lamson (2014) and Ocholli and Ayola (2018) who
reported existence of efficiency gap in broiler production in Oyo and Benue States respectively.
3.3. Factors affecting technical efficiency.
The maximum likelihood estimates of the stochastic frontier production function for broiler
production in the study area are presented in Tabl 4.6. Production variables such as farm size, labour,
capital and feed and socio-economic variables including farmers age (AGE), educational level (EDU),
years of experience (EXP), household size (HOS), gender (GEN), and access to credit (ACC).

Table 2.: Maximum likelihood estimates of parameters of the cobb-Douglas stochastic frontier
production function for broiler production in Delta State, Nigeria
Variable frontier Parameter Coef T
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Production factor
Constant βo 2.40 7.56
Ln farm size Βf 0.42 11.02***
Ln Labour βL 0.13 3.14***
Ln capita Βc 0.13 4.20***
Ln feed Βf 0.17 10.34***
Efficiency
Constant δ0 -3.31 -1.93*
AGE δ1 9.98 0.99
EDU δ2 8.91 2.46**
EXP δ3 9.67 2.23**
HOS δ4 -0.20 -2.10**
GEN δ5 0.30 1.14*
ACC δ6 0.29 1.78*
Sigma Square δ2 =δ2v =δ2u 0.15 3.74
Gamma Y = δu/δ2 0.77 9.14
Log likelihood function L(H1) 24.57
Source: Field Survey, 2020. Note *** = significant at 1% level, ** = significant at 5% level, * =
significant at 10% level. coef = coefficient, T = t-statistic
It could be observed from the table that all coefficients of the production variables (farm size, labour,
capital and feeds) in the model exhibited the expected positive sign showing a direct contribution to
the output. Farm size has a coefficient of 0.42 and significant at 1% level of probability. Labour has a
coefficient of 0.13 and significant at 1%. In the same way, capital and feed have coefficients of 0.13
and 0.17 respectively and at significant 1% level of probability. This implies that a 1% increase each
in farm size, labour, capital and feed, keeping other factors constant will increase output by 0.42%,
0.13%, 0.13% and 0.17% respectively. The result agrees with Ewubare and Ozar (2018) on effect of
poultry production on agricultural production in Nigeria; and Shalid (2018) on allocative efficiency
of input and output in broiler production, which stated that broiler farmers in the country were able to
increase their output by increasing the quantities of labour, farm size and feeds. The positive and
significance effect of farm size, labour, capital and feed have also been reported by Ezeh et al. (2012),
Olorunwa (2016) and Pakage et al (2014).
3.4. Determinants of Inefficiency.
The sources of inefficiency as shown in the Stochastic frontier production function analysis for broiler
production using Maximum Likelihood estimate (Table 4.6) include age, educational level, farming
experience, household size, gender and access to credit. As stated earlier, out of the six predictors
included in the model five namely, educational level, farming experience, household size, gender and
access to credit were statistically significant, while age was not.

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Educational level: The estimated coefficient of educational attainment was positively signed and
significant influence on inefficiency on broiler production. This is at variance with apriori
expectations that educational level should have negative effects on inefficiency and positive
relationship with technical efficiency. Higher educational level is expected to enhance a farmer’s
ability to understand and adopt new ideas in order to improve technical efficiency, output and profit.
The finding agree with Ocholi and Ayila (2018) who reported that farmers with higher educational
level were more efficient than their less educated counterparts in use of resources. However, the result
is at variance with Ezeh et al. (2012) who reported negative relationship between educational level
and output.
Farming experience: The coefficient of farming experience had positive and significant influence on
inefficiency in broiler production. This is at variance with a priori expectations that farmers
experience should have negative relationship with technical efficiency. Years of experience is
expected to enhance a farmer’s ability to understand and embrace innovations in order to improve
technical efficiency, output and profit. The result disagrees with Ayerh (2015) who recorded negative
sign on technical inefficiency but significant at 1% level of probability.
Household Size: The coefficient of household size exterted significant and negative influence on
inefficiency in broiler production. This is in accordance with a priori expectations that household size
should have positive effect on technical efficiency and negative on inefficiency. This implied that the
broiler farmers with higher household size utilize their family labour advantage to impact positively
on technical efficiency and profit. The findings is in consonance with Ocholi and Ayila (2018) who
reported that household size has positive influence on technical efficiency in small-scale broiler
production enterprises in Benue State, Nigeria. This means that large household size may utilized farm
labour which helps in reducing direct labour cost thereby creating an avenue for improvement in
technical efficiency in broiler production in Delta state. However, this result disagrees with the
findings of Nwachukwu and Onyenweaku (2007), who found that household size increases technical
inefficiency in broiler production.
Gender: The variable gender had positive impact and significant on technical inefficiency in broiler
production. The positive relationship of gender with inefficiency is at variance with apriori
expectation. This means that broiler production in the study area is not gender biased in favour of
men. The reason could be that broiler production does not require highly energy for successful
production. The result disagrees with Onyenwaku and Nwaru (2005) who reported men dominance in
food production in Imo State due to high energy demanded of production operations.
Access to Credit: In the same manner, the a priori expectations are for access to credit to have a
negative relationship with technical inefficiency based on proper utilization of accessed credit by the
farmer. The significant and positive influence of access to credit is an indication that most broiler
farmers do not access credit and cannot improve on profit margin leading to technical inefficiency.
This finding is in consonance with the study by Ashagidigbi et al. (2011) which reported a positive

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coefficient for access to credit in layer poultry production in Plateau State, Nigeria. Access to credit
is expected to enhance broiler production level and embrace innovation in order to improve technical
efficiency, output and profit.
The proportion of the error term which is attributed to inefficiency of the farm is determined by the
variance parameter gamma (ϒ), which is normally represented as 𝜎𝑢2=𝜎2. It ranges between zero and
one. If ϒ=1, there is maximum efficiency, and if ϒ=0, there is complete inefficiency. The value of
gamma for the farm (Table 5) is 0.77. This value signifies that 77% of the proportions of error term
are attributed to farm inefficiency.
3.5 Elasticity of Production and Returns to Scale.
Returns to scale is the response of output to proportionate change in inputs. The returns to scale of
broiler farmers in the study area was, therefore, calculated as the sum of individual elasticities of
output with respect to farm size, labour, capital and feed which represented factors or farm specific
characteristics that affected technical efficiency. Returns to scale is said to be constant, if the sum of
input elasticities is equal to one (Σx 1=1). This means that doubling the amount of inputs will double
the output while tripling inputs will lead to tripling of output. Again , decreasing returns to scale
obtains when increase in the amount of inputs leads to a less than proportion increase in output, i.e
doubling of inputs leads to less than doubling of the quantity of output (Σx1<1). On the other hand, if
the sum of input elasticities is greater than one (Σx 1>1), there is increasing returns to scale meaning
that, doubling of inputs will result in more than doubling of output.
The estimated coefficients of the broiler production inputs were determined using the Cobb-Douglas
Stochastic frontier production function analysis. The values of the coefficient (Table 4.7) indicated
the respective elasticities of farm size, labour, capital and feeds as 0.42, 0.13, 0.13, and 0.17
respectively. Returns to scale which is the sum of output elasticities of the production inputs as shown
in Table 4.7 indicated decreasing returns to scale.
Table 3. Estimated output elasticity and return to scale for broiler production
Variable Elasticity
Farm size 0.42
Labour 0.13
Capital 0.13
Feed 0.17
Total 0.85
RTS Decreasing
Source: Computed from survey data, 2020. Note: RTS= Returns To Scale.
For elasticities of the production inputs, holding farm size, capital and feed constant, a one percent
increase in labour led to 0.13% decrease in output. Likewise, holding labour, farm size and capital
constant, a one percent increase in feeds gave rise to a 0.17% decrease in output. Similarly, a 1%

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increase in capital gave rise to a 0.13% decrease in output. Similar scenario was obtained for farm
size.
Furthermore, the decreasing returns to scale experienced by broiler farmers while holding fixed inputs
constant would yield less corresponding output cateris paribus. The implication of the findings is that
improvement of level of output among broiler farmers may not necessarily required increase in inputs
in Delta State, Nigeria. Efforts should be tailored towards efficient utilizations of resources so as to
attain optimum level of output and profit. This will enhance the farmers’ net income.
3.6 Constraints to Broiler Production in Delta State.
Broiler production in the area was constrained by numerous factors such as feed cost, inadequate
capital, high cost of labour, pests and diseases outbreak, and high mortality rate among others.
Analysis of the constraints was achieved by comparing the calculated mean scores with the cut-off
point (mean) of 2.50 obtained by using a 4-point Likert-type scale. Items with mean scores of 2.50
and above were regarded as constraining factors to broiler production while those below 2.50 were
not seen as constraints. Again the calculated means were also ranked in order to determine the order
of seriousness of the factors to production.
Table 4. Constraints to broiler production in Delta State.
Constraint Mean score Rank Remark
High cost of feed 3.85 1st Serious
Inadequate capital 3.44 2nd Serious
High cost of labour 3.26 3rd Serious
Parasites and disease outbreak 2.96 4th Serious
High mortality rate 2.58 5th Serious
Inadequate land 2.52 6th Serious
Inadequate feeds 2.51 7th Serious
Pilfering 2.41 8th Not Serious
Shortage of water 1.98 9th Not Serious
Source: Computed from field Survey data, 2020.
4 Conclusion
Broiler production is common and profitable in Delta State, Nigeria. This is evidenced by the positive
values of gross margin, net farm income, mean net farm income and net return on investment obtained
by the farmers. The farmers were also found to be efficient in production, though reasonable
inefficiency gaps still exist. A lot of factors were identified to be militating against broiler production
in the area, especially high cost of feeds. The identified constraints can be addressed through
formulation and implementation of good policies such as provision of adequate extension services.
This will enable availability of capital,, better skills, increase efficiency, profit and well fell of the
farmers.
5 Recommendations
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The following recommendations based on the findings of the study were made to raise policies geared
towards improved broiler production in the area.
i. The study revealed that the production of broiler, a major source of protein in the area was
profitable. To further improve the farmers profit margin and boost production, the Federal and
State Governments should increase budgetary allocation to livestock production. This is to
ensure the realization of their set goals, aimed at increasing the farmer’s income and standard
of living. The study also identified cost of feeds as the highest cost item in broiler production
accounting for over half of total cost. Since the major reason for the scarcity and high cost of
feeds is as a result of inadequate capital, and raw materials; government should subsidize the
cost of raw materials for the production of feeds. Also, ensuring that there is availability of
feeds to farmers.
ii. High cost of labour as revealed by the findings was a major constraint to production. This is
as a result of the continued rural – urban drift of young and able bodied men, governments
should provide requisite infrastructures such as power, roads, efficient telecommunication and
other services in the rural areas to attract industries, create employment and reverse the drift.

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