Abstract— The study examined Abakaliki Rice Mill from
agro-tourism perspective. Adopting the qualitative posture
to gaining knowledge and relying on in-depth interviews
and field observation as primary data gathering strategies,
it was found that Abakaliki Rice Mill has the capacity to be
a viable agro-tourism destination providing tourism
activities such as rice processing demonstrations
(parboiling, sieving, drying, raking, de-stoning, milling and
packaging), the picturesque sights of rice husk pyramids
and the beehive of activity ever present. For this to reach
fruition, however, there is the need to mitigate certain
threats which exist in form of lack of basic tourism
infrastructure (electricity, clinic, fire-fighting services,
water shortage) together with certain challenges
confronting rice production and processing such as
inadequate knowledge on soil fertility management, use of
herbicides and pesticides, and lack of appropriate rice
farming and processing tools. While acknowledging the
giant strides being made by Ebonyi State government to
place the state among the top echelon of rice producers
globally, the study recommends that government should at
the same time consider agro- tourism as a complementary
part towards diversifying state and rural economies. This is
one way of increasing the multi-functionality of agroprocessing
industries.
Agriculture being a foundation stone for most budding economies, it would be benefiting to know about agro processing and waste management of agriculture produce. The book will act as an encyclopaedia for enriched information on the processing of a variety of products manufactured from agro crops and the waste management of agriculture products. Agro processing can be defined as set of techno economic activities carried out for preservation and treatment of agricultural produce and to make it useful as food, feed, fibre, fuel or manufacturing objects . Therefore, the span of the agro-processing industry covers all operations from the phase of harvest to the phase where the material reaches the end users in the desired form, packaging, quantity, quality and price.
For more details: http://goo.gl/B7zaRG
Contact us:
Email: npcs.ei@gmail.com , info@entrepreneurindia.co
Website: http://www.niir.org , http://www.entrepreneurindia.co
Tags
Activated Carbon from Saw Dust, Rice Husk and Coconut Shells, Agricultural Waste Could Make Great Packaging, Agricultural waste processing, Agricultural Waste production, Agro Based Food Processing Industry, Agro Based Small Scale Industries Projects, Agro Processing & Agricultural Waste Products, Agro waste and agro processing Business, Agro waste Based Profitable Projects, Agro waste Based Small Scale Industries Projects, Agro waste Processing Industry in India, Agro waste Processing Projects, Agro waste utilization, Alcohol from Potatoes, Atta Chakki Plant, Banana Wafers, Best small and cottage scale industries, Biocoal Briquettes from Agriculture Cellulosic Waste, Business consultancy, Business consultant, Business guidance for agro processing and agriculture waste, Business guidance to clients, Business Plan for a Startup Business, Business start-up, Cardamom Oil, Cashew Nut Shell Liquid and Kernels, Castor Oil Derivative Oleo Resin, Cattle Feed from Molasses, Coconut Processing Unit, Dal or Pulse Mill, Food Processing & Agro Based Profitable Projects, Food processing business list, Food Processing Industry in India, Food Processing Projects, Fresh and Frozen Potato (Ready to Cook) Peled/Slices (Chips) Potato, Fruit Pulp and Juice Concentrates Mango and Pineapple Pulp and Concentrates, Fruit Specific Preservation Technologies, Garlic Oil and Powder, Get started in small-scale food manufacturing, Ginger Processing, Growth of Agro Processing Industries in India, Herbal Plantation (Medicinal), How to start a food manufacturing business, How to Start a Food Production Business, How to start a successful Agro waste business, How to start agriculture business, How to start agro waste Processing Industry in India, How to Start an Agro waste business?, How to start an agro waste Production Business, How to Start Food Processing Industry in India, Maize Processing for Glucose, Mango Plantation, Modern Bee Keeping
Agriculture being a foundation stone for most budding economies, it would be benefiting to know about agro processing and waste management of agriculture produce. The book will act as an encyclopaedia for enriched information on the processing of a variety of products manufactured from agro crops and the waste management of agriculture products. Agro processing can be defined as set of techno economic activities carried out for preservation and treatment of agricultural produce and to make it useful as food, feed, fibre, fuel or manufacturing objects . Therefore, the span of the agro-processing industry covers all operations from the phase of harvest to the phase where the material reaches the end users in the desired form, packaging, quantity, quality and price.
For more details: http://goo.gl/B7zaRG
Contact us:
Email: npcs.ei@gmail.com , info@entrepreneurindia.co
Website: http://www.niir.org , http://www.entrepreneurindia.co
Tags
Activated Carbon from Saw Dust, Rice Husk and Coconut Shells, Agricultural Waste Could Make Great Packaging, Agricultural waste processing, Agricultural Waste production, Agro Based Food Processing Industry, Agro Based Small Scale Industries Projects, Agro Processing & Agricultural Waste Products, Agro waste and agro processing Business, Agro waste Based Profitable Projects, Agro waste Based Small Scale Industries Projects, Agro waste Processing Industry in India, Agro waste Processing Projects, Agro waste utilization, Alcohol from Potatoes, Atta Chakki Plant, Banana Wafers, Best small and cottage scale industries, Biocoal Briquettes from Agriculture Cellulosic Waste, Business consultancy, Business consultant, Business guidance for agro processing and agriculture waste, Business guidance to clients, Business Plan for a Startup Business, Business start-up, Cardamom Oil, Cashew Nut Shell Liquid and Kernels, Castor Oil Derivative Oleo Resin, Cattle Feed from Molasses, Coconut Processing Unit, Dal or Pulse Mill, Food Processing & Agro Based Profitable Projects, Food processing business list, Food Processing Industry in India, Food Processing Projects, Fresh and Frozen Potato (Ready to Cook) Peled/Slices (Chips) Potato, Fruit Pulp and Juice Concentrates Mango and Pineapple Pulp and Concentrates, Fruit Specific Preservation Technologies, Garlic Oil and Powder, Get started in small-scale food manufacturing, Ginger Processing, Growth of Agro Processing Industries in India, Herbal Plantation (Medicinal), How to start a food manufacturing business, How to Start a Food Production Business, How to start a successful Agro waste business, How to start agriculture business, How to start agro waste Processing Industry in India, How to Start an Agro waste business?, How to start an agro waste Production Business, How to Start Food Processing Industry in India, Maize Processing for Glucose, Mango Plantation, Modern Bee Keeping
Principles of processing and preservationMohit Jindal
Principles of processing and preservation
Status of Indian food industry with emphasis on State of Haryana. Definition of food food technology, food science, food preservation and food engineering basic considerations. Importance of food processing and preservation. Classification of foods on the basis of shelf life, pH, origin; Different types of food spoilage viz. microbiological, bio-chemical, chemical, physical and their effects on food quality. Principles of food preservation.
Preservation by sugar and salt
Principles of Salt and sugar preservation, Intermediate Moisture Food (IMF) like jam, jelly and marmalade. Techniques of pickling.
Preservation by Low Temperature
Low temperature required for different foods refrigeration refrigeration load, refrigeration systems; slow and fast freezing, freezing process; types of freezer advantages and disadvantages of freezing; storage and thawing of frozen food.
Preservation by High Temperature
Pasteurization, Sterilization, Canning: their Definition, Method, advantages and disadvantages.
Moisture Removal
Evaporation, concentration, drying and dehydration, types of dryers, advantages and disadvantages, selection of dryers.
Food Additives including Chemical Preservatives-
Classification, functions and uses in foods
8. Preservation of foods by Radiation Irradiation of foods, Radiation doses for spices, onions, potatoes and meat. Concept of microwave heating effect on food quality
Status and scope of fruits and vegetables industry in India, classification, composition and nutritive value of fruits and vegetables
2. Preparatory Operations and Related Equipments (05 hrs)
Cleaning, sorting, grading, peeling and blanching methods
3. a) Ingredients and processes for the manufacture of: (08 hrs)
i) jam, jellies, marmalade, preserves, (ii) pickles and chutneys
b) Defects and factors affecting the quality of above
4. Tomato Products (04 hrs)
Ingredients and their role, process for the manufacture of tomato ketchup, sauce, puree and paste.
5. Juices (04 hrs)
Raw materials, extraction, classification, processing and aseptic packaging
6. Thermal Processing of Fruits and Vegetables (08 hrs)
History, definition, various techniques of thermal processing and their effects on the quality of fruits and vegetable products, types of containers and their selection, spoilage of canned foods
7. a) Dehydration of fruits; equipment and process for dehydration of plums, apricot, apple, fig, grapes peach etc (04 hrs)
b) Dehydration of Vegetables: equipment and process for dehydration of peas, cauliflower, potato, methi, mushroom, tomato etc
c) Osmo-dehydration – basic concept and applications
8. Freezing (04 hrs)
Freezing process of selected fruits and vegetables: peas, beans, cauliflower, apricot, mushroom – changes during freezing and spoilage of frozen foods
9. Food Laws and FPO standards for fruits and vegetable products (04 hrs)
10. By-products utilization
In the last hundred years, the steadily increase in world population has contributed in the growth of global food
production. Food is one of the most consumed goods worldwide, thus waste produced from it is of large quantities.
This significant increase of food waste generation has become a global issue.
Evaluation of the determinants of socio-economic and cultural performance amo...AI Publications
This article seeks to analyse the effects of the adoption of the geographical indication on the determinants of socio-economic and cultural performance among Penja pepper producers’s group under geographical indication (GR-IGPP) Moungo Division in Cameroon. 176 producers who operate in 4 pepper production areas: Loum, Penja, Njombé, Bouba (Mombo) were asked about the data on socio-economic and cultural characteristics, the 13 characteristic elements of needs on which they spend income from pepper cultivation. These data were subjected to descriptive statistical analysis, with graphs using the SPSS 23 software. The mapping of the production basins was carried out as an illustration of the geographical characteristics. The results obtained indicate that the percentage of men (86%) who are involved in Penja Pepper cultivation is significantly higher than that of women (14%). The age of the producers ranged between 20 years and 70 years with 45.5% of them having at least a secondary level of education and 31.8%, Primary education. In households members varied but between 3 and 10 people was the most frequent. In the practice of agricultural activities, 46% of people had 10 to 20 years of experience while 8% had less than 5 years and 21% had more than 20 years of experience. Overall, their areas of interest are investment in agricultural activities (35%) and business (10%). Only 5.5% and 5% of producers were concerned about family education and health. Women invest little in farming (8.78%), and in business 0.85%. Involvement in socio-cultural activities, construction and provision of water and electricity for households were not different from other activities. Majority of the producers were men with 39.9% of them within the active age group of 41-50 years. About 71.6% practiced professional pepper cultivation with a reseasonable proportion of income reinvested into the farms. The pepper producers must focus on the aspects of promoting culture, membership of cooperatives and CIGs that guarantee social cohesion in order to increase the chances of sustainability of this culture.
India -One of the largest food producers of the world.
India also produces a variety of temperate to tropical fruits, vegetables and other food products. Processing of food products plays an important role in the conservation and effective utilization of fruits and vegetables.
http://www.fao.org/about/meetings/agroecology-symposium-china/en/
Presentation of Sijun Zheng, from Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Bioversity, on policy support for agriculture in the Yunnan province, China. The presentation was prepared and delivered in occasion of the International Symposium on Agroecology in China, held in Kunming, China on 29-31 August 2016.
The Complete Book on Organic Farming and Production of Organic Compost (2nd R...Ajjay Kumar Gupta
The Complete Book on Organic Farming and Production of Organic Compost (2nd Revised Edition)
Organic farming is a technique that entails growing plants and raising animals in a natural environment. To preserve soil fertility and ecological balance while minimising contamination and waste, this method employs biological materials while avoiding synthetic substances. To put it another way, organic farming is a form of farming that involves growing and caring for crops without the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
https://www.entrepreneurindia.co/book-details/188/the-complete-book-on-organic-farming-and-production-of-organic-compost-2nd-revised-edition-
Contact us
Niir Project Consultancy Services
An ISO 9001:2015 Company
106-E, Kamla Nagar, Opp. Mall ST,
New Delhi-110007, India.
Email: npcs.ei@gmail.com , info@entrepreneurindia.co
Tel: +91-11-23843955, 23845654, 23845886
Mobile: +91-9097075054, 8800733955
Website: www.entrepreneurindia.co , www.niir.org
Country Status Reports on Underutilized Crops by Mohamad Roff, Malaysiaapaari
Country Status Reports on Underutilized Crops by Mohamad Roff, Malaysia - Regional Expert Consultation on Underutilized Crops for Food and Nutritional Security in Asia and the Pacific November 13-15, 2017, Bangkok
Assessing agricultural commercialization and rural infrastructure development...Olutosin Ademola Otekunrin
This study assessed agricultural commercialization and rural infrastructure development of smallholder cassava farmers in rural Southwestern Nigeria. The study was conducted in Nigeria with cross-sectional data collected from 352 smallholder cassava farmers. Crop commercialization index (CCI) was used to compute each farmer’s CCI and categorized into four levels while ordered logit model was employed to analyze the determinants of agricultural commercialization of cassava farmers in the study areas. Availability of some important rural infrastructures were assessed across cassava farmers’ commercialization levels. The results revealed that 13.1 % of cassava farmers did not participate in the sale of cassava roots while 86.9 % of them participated actively in the output market. T he mean and maximum CCI in the study areas was 59.1 and 95.5 respectively. The results also showed that less than 40 % and 20 % of cassava farmers in all commercialization levels had access to electricity and piped water respectively. The ordered logit regression analysis indicated that age, transport cost, cassava marketing experience, and distance to market were among the determinants of agricultural commercialization. Therefore, stakeholders should expedite policy actions capable of promoting rural infrastructure development that will enhance agricultural production, marketing and improve the quality of life of rural farming communities.
Assessing agricultural commercialization and rural infrastructure development...Olutosin Ademola Otekunrin
Abstract: This study assessed agricultural commercialization and rural infrastructure development of smallholder cassava farmers in rural Southwestern Nigeria. The study was conducted in Nigeria with cross-sectional data collected from 352 smallholder cassava farmers. Crop commercialization index (CCI) was used to compute each farmer’s CCI and categorized into four levels while ordered logit model was employed to analyze the determinants of agricultural commercialization of cassava farmers in the study areas. Availability of some important rural infrastructures were assessed across cassava farmers’ commercialization levels. The results revealed that 13.1 % of cassava farmers did not participate in the sale of cassava roots while 86.9 % of them participated actively in the output market. T he mean and maximum CCI in the study areas was 59.1 and 95.5 respectively. The results also showed that less than 40 % and 20 % of cassava farmers in all commercialization levels had access to electricity and piped water respectively. The ordered logit regression analysis indicated that age, transport cost, cassava marketing experience, and distance to market were among the determinants of agricultural commercialization. Therefore, stakeholders should expedite policy actions capable of promoting rural infrastructure development that will enhance agricultural production, marketing and improve the quality of life of rural farming communities.
Principles of processing and preservationMohit Jindal
Principles of processing and preservation
Status of Indian food industry with emphasis on State of Haryana. Definition of food food technology, food science, food preservation and food engineering basic considerations. Importance of food processing and preservation. Classification of foods on the basis of shelf life, pH, origin; Different types of food spoilage viz. microbiological, bio-chemical, chemical, physical and their effects on food quality. Principles of food preservation.
Preservation by sugar and salt
Principles of Salt and sugar preservation, Intermediate Moisture Food (IMF) like jam, jelly and marmalade. Techniques of pickling.
Preservation by Low Temperature
Low temperature required for different foods refrigeration refrigeration load, refrigeration systems; slow and fast freezing, freezing process; types of freezer advantages and disadvantages of freezing; storage and thawing of frozen food.
Preservation by High Temperature
Pasteurization, Sterilization, Canning: their Definition, Method, advantages and disadvantages.
Moisture Removal
Evaporation, concentration, drying and dehydration, types of dryers, advantages and disadvantages, selection of dryers.
Food Additives including Chemical Preservatives-
Classification, functions and uses in foods
8. Preservation of foods by Radiation Irradiation of foods, Radiation doses for spices, onions, potatoes and meat. Concept of microwave heating effect on food quality
Status and scope of fruits and vegetables industry in India, classification, composition and nutritive value of fruits and vegetables
2. Preparatory Operations and Related Equipments (05 hrs)
Cleaning, sorting, grading, peeling and blanching methods
3. a) Ingredients and processes for the manufacture of: (08 hrs)
i) jam, jellies, marmalade, preserves, (ii) pickles and chutneys
b) Defects and factors affecting the quality of above
4. Tomato Products (04 hrs)
Ingredients and their role, process for the manufacture of tomato ketchup, sauce, puree and paste.
5. Juices (04 hrs)
Raw materials, extraction, classification, processing and aseptic packaging
6. Thermal Processing of Fruits and Vegetables (08 hrs)
History, definition, various techniques of thermal processing and their effects on the quality of fruits and vegetable products, types of containers and their selection, spoilage of canned foods
7. a) Dehydration of fruits; equipment and process for dehydration of plums, apricot, apple, fig, grapes peach etc (04 hrs)
b) Dehydration of Vegetables: equipment and process for dehydration of peas, cauliflower, potato, methi, mushroom, tomato etc
c) Osmo-dehydration – basic concept and applications
8. Freezing (04 hrs)
Freezing process of selected fruits and vegetables: peas, beans, cauliflower, apricot, mushroom – changes during freezing and spoilage of frozen foods
9. Food Laws and FPO standards for fruits and vegetable products (04 hrs)
10. By-products utilization
In the last hundred years, the steadily increase in world population has contributed in the growth of global food
production. Food is one of the most consumed goods worldwide, thus waste produced from it is of large quantities.
This significant increase of food waste generation has become a global issue.
Evaluation of the determinants of socio-economic and cultural performance amo...AI Publications
This article seeks to analyse the effects of the adoption of the geographical indication on the determinants of socio-economic and cultural performance among Penja pepper producers’s group under geographical indication (GR-IGPP) Moungo Division in Cameroon. 176 producers who operate in 4 pepper production areas: Loum, Penja, Njombé, Bouba (Mombo) were asked about the data on socio-economic and cultural characteristics, the 13 characteristic elements of needs on which they spend income from pepper cultivation. These data were subjected to descriptive statistical analysis, with graphs using the SPSS 23 software. The mapping of the production basins was carried out as an illustration of the geographical characteristics. The results obtained indicate that the percentage of men (86%) who are involved in Penja Pepper cultivation is significantly higher than that of women (14%). The age of the producers ranged between 20 years and 70 years with 45.5% of them having at least a secondary level of education and 31.8%, Primary education. In households members varied but between 3 and 10 people was the most frequent. In the practice of agricultural activities, 46% of people had 10 to 20 years of experience while 8% had less than 5 years and 21% had more than 20 years of experience. Overall, their areas of interest are investment in agricultural activities (35%) and business (10%). Only 5.5% and 5% of producers were concerned about family education and health. Women invest little in farming (8.78%), and in business 0.85%. Involvement in socio-cultural activities, construction and provision of water and electricity for households were not different from other activities. Majority of the producers were men with 39.9% of them within the active age group of 41-50 years. About 71.6% practiced professional pepper cultivation with a reseasonable proportion of income reinvested into the farms. The pepper producers must focus on the aspects of promoting culture, membership of cooperatives and CIGs that guarantee social cohesion in order to increase the chances of sustainability of this culture.
India -One of the largest food producers of the world.
India also produces a variety of temperate to tropical fruits, vegetables and other food products. Processing of food products plays an important role in the conservation and effective utilization of fruits and vegetables.
http://www.fao.org/about/meetings/agroecology-symposium-china/en/
Presentation of Sijun Zheng, from Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Bioversity, on policy support for agriculture in the Yunnan province, China. The presentation was prepared and delivered in occasion of the International Symposium on Agroecology in China, held in Kunming, China on 29-31 August 2016.
The Complete Book on Organic Farming and Production of Organic Compost (2nd R...Ajjay Kumar Gupta
The Complete Book on Organic Farming and Production of Organic Compost (2nd Revised Edition)
Organic farming is a technique that entails growing plants and raising animals in a natural environment. To preserve soil fertility and ecological balance while minimising contamination and waste, this method employs biological materials while avoiding synthetic substances. To put it another way, organic farming is a form of farming that involves growing and caring for crops without the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
https://www.entrepreneurindia.co/book-details/188/the-complete-book-on-organic-farming-and-production-of-organic-compost-2nd-revised-edition-
Contact us
Niir Project Consultancy Services
An ISO 9001:2015 Company
106-E, Kamla Nagar, Opp. Mall ST,
New Delhi-110007, India.
Email: npcs.ei@gmail.com , info@entrepreneurindia.co
Tel: +91-11-23843955, 23845654, 23845886
Mobile: +91-9097075054, 8800733955
Website: www.entrepreneurindia.co , www.niir.org
Country Status Reports on Underutilized Crops by Mohamad Roff, Malaysiaapaari
Country Status Reports on Underutilized Crops by Mohamad Roff, Malaysia - Regional Expert Consultation on Underutilized Crops for Food and Nutritional Security in Asia and the Pacific November 13-15, 2017, Bangkok
Assessing agricultural commercialization and rural infrastructure development...Olutosin Ademola Otekunrin
This study assessed agricultural commercialization and rural infrastructure development of smallholder cassava farmers in rural Southwestern Nigeria. The study was conducted in Nigeria with cross-sectional data collected from 352 smallholder cassava farmers. Crop commercialization index (CCI) was used to compute each farmer’s CCI and categorized into four levels while ordered logit model was employed to analyze the determinants of agricultural commercialization of cassava farmers in the study areas. Availability of some important rural infrastructures were assessed across cassava farmers’ commercialization levels. The results revealed that 13.1 % of cassava farmers did not participate in the sale of cassava roots while 86.9 % of them participated actively in the output market. T he mean and maximum CCI in the study areas was 59.1 and 95.5 respectively. The results also showed that less than 40 % and 20 % of cassava farmers in all commercialization levels had access to electricity and piped water respectively. The ordered logit regression analysis indicated that age, transport cost, cassava marketing experience, and distance to market were among the determinants of agricultural commercialization. Therefore, stakeholders should expedite policy actions capable of promoting rural infrastructure development that will enhance agricultural production, marketing and improve the quality of life of rural farming communities.
Assessing agricultural commercialization and rural infrastructure development...Olutosin Ademola Otekunrin
Abstract: This study assessed agricultural commercialization and rural infrastructure development of smallholder cassava farmers in rural Southwestern Nigeria. The study was conducted in Nigeria with cross-sectional data collected from 352 smallholder cassava farmers. Crop commercialization index (CCI) was used to compute each farmer’s CCI and categorized into four levels while ordered logit model was employed to analyze the determinants of agricultural commercialization of cassava farmers in the study areas. Availability of some important rural infrastructures were assessed across cassava farmers’ commercialization levels. The results revealed that 13.1 % of cassava farmers did not participate in the sale of cassava roots while 86.9 % of them participated actively in the output market. T he mean and maximum CCI in the study areas was 59.1 and 95.5 respectively. The results also showed that less than 40 % and 20 % of cassava farmers in all commercialization levels had access to electricity and piped water respectively. The ordered logit regression analysis indicated that age, transport cost, cassava marketing experience, and distance to market were among the determinants of agricultural commercialization. Therefore, stakeholders should expedite policy actions capable of promoting rural infrastructure development that will enhance agricultural production, marketing and improve the quality of life of rural farming communities.
Influence of farmer characteristics on the production of groundnuts, a case o...paperpublications3
Abstract: Groundnut (Arachis hypogea L.) is a major annual oilseed crop and its economic and nutritive quality makes the crop a beneficial enterprise for rural farmers in Ndhiwa Sub-County. Researchers have recommended adoption of technology and increased contact with extension agents as one way of increasing production but productivity remains low. Crop productivity or yield is a function of environment, plant, management and socio-economic factors that interact at optimum levels to give maximum yields. The study focused on farmer characteristics which are part of socio-economic factors using the ex-post facto research design. The objective was to determine the influence of farmer characteristics on the production of groundnuts in Ndhiwa Sub County, Kenya. Purposive, multistage and simple random sampling was used in the study. Data on famer characteristics was obtained from 323 farmers out of the population of 21,820 farmers involved in groundnut production during the 2014 main cropping season. Document analysis was used to collate and analyze secondary data. Cobb-Douglas production function model and multiple regression analysis were used to study the behaviour and effects of independent variables on the dependent variable and test hypotheses. The results of the study showed that majority of the farmers were in households that were male headed with an average of seven persons. The household heads were middle aged, experienced in groundnut farming and had low levels of formal education. Age, gender of head of household, household size, level of formal education and experience in farming all had a positive relationship with groundnut production. However, only gender and experience in farming were significant at p <0.05 level of significance. Based on the findings the study recommended that interventions that target female headed households and improvement of farmers’ traditional knowledge on production should be put in place to improve production.
Transportation is a crucial factor in improving agricultural productivity. It
enhances the quality of life of the people, creates a market for agricultural produce,
facilitates interaction among geographical and economic regions and opened up new
areas to economic focus. The link between the farmers and consumers is enhanced by
efficient transport mechanism for constant inflow of farm produce. The economic
investigation into how this process is undertaken is necessary for the profitability of
any business venture. This research investigates the crucial role transportation plays
in kola nut production using survey research technique. A total of 100 respondents were
randomly selected and interviewed using well-structured questionnaires. This
represents 20% of the registered kola nut farmers in Remo land, Ogun state. Sagamu
Local Government Area has 40% of the respondents while 30% each were from Ikenne
and Remo North Local Government Areas. The obtained data were analysed using
descriptive statistics. This study revealed that an improved transportation will
encourage farmers to produce more, add value to their produce, and reduce spoilage
Measuring the economic performance of smallholder organic maize farms; Implic...Olutosin Ademola Otekunrin
The use of chemical inputs in conventional agriculture is associated with some health and environmental issues. This led to a call for more sustainable and environmentally friendly agriculture without health issues. However, there is low participation in organic farming in Nigeria, which could be linked to less knowledge about its profitability. The study investigated smallholder organic maize farming profitability in Northern Nigeria. We employed descriptive statistics, profitability analysis, and a multiple regression model to analyse data collected from 480 maize farmers. The results revealed that organic maize farmers had a gross profit of USD 604.81 per hectare, a 0.46 profit ratio, a 0.54 gross ratio, a 0.32 operating ratio, a benefit-cost ratio of 1.85, and a 0.85 return on capital invested. Thus, organic maize farming is a productive and profitable venture. Organic manure, compost manure, farm size, selling price, cooperative membership, extension contact, access to credit, irrigation, education, and major occupation were factors that enhanced organic maize farming’s net profit. However, seed and transportation costs negatively influenced organic maize farming's net profit. Therefore, government and development agencies must intervene to make organic farming more sustainable and profitable by subsidizing seed costs and providing f inancial assistance to farmers.
Value Chain Analysis of Banana in Mizan Aman Town of Benchi Maji Zone, Southw...AI Publications
This study was aimed at analyzing value chain of banana in Mizan-Aman town, Bench Maji zone with specific objectives of describing important marketing channels and actors involved on banana value chain, dealing the determinant of supply of banana and identify constraints in value chain of the banana. The data were collected from both primary and secondary sources. The primary data for this study were collected through application of appropriate statistical procedures. The data were analyzed by using both descriptive and Econometric models. Accordingly, the value chain activities in the survey period were production, marketing and consumption. To identify factors affecting farm level marketable supply of banana, OLS regression analysis was employed. About 10 variables were hypothesized to affect farm level of marketable supply of banana in the study area. Age of respondent, experience, family size, education level of the household head, market information and distance to the market affects farm level marketable supply of banana positively and negatively. The study result exhibited also that banana producers are faced lack market, lack of cooperatives and low price of banana. The result revealed that banana passes through several intermediaries with little value being added before reaching the end users. Therefore, farmers are forced to capture a lower share of profit margin. The highest marketing cost is incurred by wholesalers and the highest market profit is shared by retailers. The value chain analysis revealed that the major actors in the area are producers, local collectors, wholesalers, retailers and consumers. The study showed that Input Suppliers, Improved infrastructure and strengthening the linkage/interaction among value chain actors is necessary for good marketing of banana.
Analysis and Information Needs for Fisheries Production with Freshwater Aquac...SubmissionResearchpa
The big water bodies covering about 4.3 metres hectare of inland water and 480 km of coastline give very high potential for fisheries and aquaculture production, the subtropical climate and adequate soil and aquatic conditions. diversification took place by the introduction of medium and minor carps, catfish and murrels Prabhat Ranjan. (2020). Analysis and Information Needs for Fisheries Production with Freshwater Aquaculture. International Journal on Orange Technologies, 2(10), 117-123. https://doi.org/10.31149/ijot.v2i10.755 Pdf Url: https://journals.researchparks.org/index.php/IJOT/article/view/755/727 Paper Url: https://journals.researchparks.org/index.php/IJOT/article/view/755
Analysis of Resource Use Efficiency in Small-Scale Maize Production in Tafawa...IOSRJAVS
his paper analyzed the resource-use efficiency of small-scale Maize production in Tafawa-Balewa local government area of Bauchi State. Data were collected from a sample of 120 Maize farmers selected through multi-stage sampling procedure using questionnaire and analyzed using simple descriptive statistics, double-log function and marginal value productivity analysis. The result showed that 90.17% had formal education; 51.67% were males; 90.17% were between the ages of 21-50. Majority 72.50% were married. In terms of farming experience, majority (86.67%) of the respondent had farming experience between 5-20 years. 75.00% had no contact with extension. The double-log function gave the best fit with Adjusted R2 of 81.16%. Production inputs such as seed, fertilizer, labour affected output significantly. Maize production in the study area has an increasing return to scale from the sum of elasticity of production (1.747). Seed and fertilizer were underutilized in Maize production, whereas labour was over used. The major problem confronting the farmers include high cost of inputs (77.50%); Untimely disbursement of credit/inputs (62.50; inadequate extension services (59.17); unstable price (41.67%); draught (33.33%), inadequate credit facilities (31.67%) etc. Profit could be enhanced by increasing the quantity used of seed and fertilizer inputs, its timely supply. Labour should be reduced to optimum level for increase output and total revenue respectively. It is also recommended that extension education and financial support to farmers be improved to allow them increase output and total revenue. There is need for adjustment in resource use in order to improve farm profit at this level of technology used by Maize farmers in the study area.
Farmers’ Awareness and Perceptions in Agritourism Participation in Calaanan B...IJAEMSJORNAL
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There is an urgent need for the revitalization of the Nigerian Agricultural sector especially now the economic situation of the economy is nothing to write home about. The Agricultural sector of Nigeria was neglected for years owing to the discovery of crude oil in the 70s. Crude oil exportation gradually replaced Agricultural products exportation until Nigeria became a mono product exporting nation. The current fall in oil prices have led to the recent clamor for the diversification of the economy through agricultural export performance. Serveral policies have been implemented by the government both in state and federal levels in order to boost the agricultural sector but no significant change has been achieved. This indicates that the sector is faced with challenges which must be identified and nipped in the bud for the sector to flourish. Marketing of Agricultural products has been identified by various researchers globally and in Nigeria as the major problems of the Agricultural sector. Various scholars have discovered that if the right marketing practices is not put in place in the Agricultural sector of an economy, the sector would not flourish. Therefore the thrust of this conceptual study was to identify the problems associated with the marketing of Agricultural products with a view to proffering recommendations of the best marketing practices to adopt in order to boost the Agricultural sector of the economy for economic growth and sustainable development. Nwuba, Chibike Onyije "Marketing of Agricultural Products, a Panacea for Economic Growth and Sustainable Development in Nigeria" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-5 | Issue-2 , February 2021, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd38503.pdf Paper Url: https://www.ijtsrd.com/management/marketing/38503/marketing-of-agricultural-products-a-panacea-for-economic-growth-and-sustainable-development-in-nigeria/nwuba-chibike-onyije
Aurelio, Anna Clarisse,
2Cabale, Ma. Fatima Rica, 3Dimla, Kyla Terese,
4 Jamoralin, Mario Luis
1, 2, 3 Research Scholar, 4 Adviser
DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY- DASMARIÑAS
College of Tourism and Hospitality Management
Hospitality Management Department
Abstract: Agritourism is composed of different structures such as farm, recreational facilities, educational
purposes, and farm-based products that gives opportunity for the farm to market and increase the economic state
of Agri farm tourism industry that allows them to execute knowledge to younger generations. The perception of
300 college students of Junior Tourism and Hospitality Management Association of the Philippines (JTHMAP) has
a significant role, and it can help the farms in Cavite to establish solutions and ways to improve this sector in
tourism industry. It raises awareness to the college students on how significant the agritourism is in our economy,
their interest as well. To establish the perception, awareness, and engagement of the college students the
researcher utilizes survey questionnaires in identifying their level of understanding to formulate a cohesive
recommendations and suggestions. The result of the study suggests that the demographic profile of the respondents
has a significant difference in awareness towards agritourism wherein ages 20 and above, first year college
students and most of the students who are single have a ninety-six-point-seven percent (96.7%) cumulative value
which means are aware of agritourism; respondents perceive regarding Farm Resort, Products, Tourism,
Educational purposes, Recreation, Economical state and Sources of information results to Strongly agree and
concluded that there is a significant difference. Succeeding research studies including the branches of agritourism,
advertising it in the market as well as study about farmers should be created to raise attention, solution, and
awareness to the existing problems in agricultural industry
At present, Agro Tourism is promoted by most of the countries in the world aiming at
sustainable rural development and economic, social uplifting of local farmers. This creates an
added income source to the farmers through the promotions of Agro Tourism, which directly
affects the social and economic development of the rural areas.
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Tourism and Agro-Processing Industries: A Qualitative Study of Abakaliki Rice Mill
1. International journal of Horticulture, Agriculture and Food science(IJHAF) [Vol-2, Issue-2, Mar-Apr, 2018]
https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijhaf.2.2.2 ISSN: 2456-8635
www.aipublications.com/ijhaf Page | 7
Tourism and Agro-Processing Industries: A
Qualitative Study of Abakaliki Rice Mill
Emeafor, Obinna F.; Pat Uche Okpoko
Department of Archaeology and Tourism, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Abstract— The study examined Abakaliki Rice Mill from
agro-tourism perspective. Adopting the qualitative posture
to gaining knowledge and relying on in-depth interviews
and field observation as primary data gathering strategies,
it was found that Abakaliki Rice Mill has the capacity to be
a viable agro-tourism destination providing tourism
activities such as rice processing demonstrations
(parboiling, sieving, drying, raking, de-stoning, milling and
packaging), the picturesque sights of rice husk pyramids
and the beehive of activity ever present. For this to reach
fruition, however, there is the need to mitigate certain
threats which exist in form of lack of basic tourism
infrastructure (electricity, clinic, fire-fighting services,
water shortage) together with certain challenges
confronting rice production and processing such as
inadequate knowledge on soil fertility management, use of
herbicides and pesticides, and lack of appropriate rice
farming and processing tools. While acknowledging the
giant strides being made by Ebonyi State government to
place the state among the top echelon of rice producers
globally, the study recommends that government should at
the same time consider agro- tourism as a complementary
part towards diversifying state and rural economies. This is
one way of increasing the multi-functionality of agro-
processing industries.
Keywords— Agro-processing Industries, Food Processing,
Agro-tourism, Multi-functionality, Abakaliki Rice Mill,
Ebonyi State.
I. INTRODUCTION
Agro-processing industries refer to a subcategory of the
manufacturing sector which process agricultural produce
(including those of horticulture, forestry, fishery etc.) so
that they are usable to consumers. The capacity of agro-
processing industries to foster development includes
ensuring food security, creation of jobs, generation of
income, minimizing post-harvest losses, promoting price
stability, increasing demand for local agricultural produce
in addition to serving as catalyst for agro-tourism
development. Agro-processing industries are classified into
the food and non-food industries.
Food processing industries and tourism can be mutually
beneficial. This is true because food “represents
approximately one-third of all tourist purchases” (Belisle,
1983), and it is “a ‘non-optional’ component of the tourism
experience” (Reynolds 1994:191). Viewing and taking part
in the processing of food which is a physiological need of
people including tourists are interesting points for agro-
tourists and those who seek new and novel experiences.
Rice mills are well-positioned to serve as agro-tourism
attractions since they are situated at the entry point in the
upstream of the post-harvest rice marketing chains. As a
food-processing industry, the ancient Abakaliki Rice Mill
holds enormous potential in the development of agro-
tourism in Ebonyi State. In view of this, it is imperative to
study the rice milling enterprise from tourism perspective,
so as to understand how the milling industry can be
repositioned as a viable agro-tourism destination. This is
one way of increasing the multi-functionality of food-
processing industries. The precise objectives of the study
include:
1. To describe the stages of rice processing in Abakaliki
Rice Mill.
2. To conduct a survey of basic infrastructure for agro-
tourism development in Abakaliki Rice Mill.
3. To ascertain the challenges of developing Abakaliki
Rice Mill as an agro-tourism destination.
The study adopted the qualitative research approach of
which in-depth interview was the main data gathering
technique. Secondary data sourced from books, journals and
public library were used to support empirical data. The
writers are optimistic that the outcome of the study will be
meaningful to agro-tourism development in Nigeria.
II. LITERATURE REVIEW
Agro-processing industries are classified into the food and
non-food industries. The food processing industries are
more homogeneous when compared to the non-food
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industries because their products serve the same end use -
consumption. Conversely, non-food industries serve
multifarious purposes where a good number of them
combine artificial substitutes (synthetics) with natural raw
materials in production.
Two forms of processing exist within the agro-based
industries – primary and secondary processing. Primary
processing includes the simplest of processes such as
washing, peeling, chopping, milling of wheat for flour
production and the processing of sugarcane etc.
(Agricultural Research Council (ARC), 2015:34-35).
Secondary processing involves the conversion of primary
processed products into more complex food products and
includes procedures such as mixing, depositing, layering,
extruding, drying, fortifying, fermentation, pasteurization,
clarification, heating etc (Agricultural Research Council
(ARC), 2015:34-35).
Opportunities abound in the agro-processing sub-sector.
Kindness and Gordon (2001, cited in Kuwornu, Bashiru and
Dumayiri 2014:191) submit that agro-processing creates
jobs with little capital investment and makes good use of
local resources. It also creates vertical linkages when small
farmers supply inputs to the value chain (Overseas
Development Institute 2005 in Kuwornu, Bashiru and
Dumayiri 2014:191). Agro-processing industries also have a
number of beneficial feedback effects on agriculture. The
most glaring could be the spur it provides for increase in
agricultural production as a result of market expansion. This
is true because market expansion in terms of establishment
of processing industries stimulates consumer demand for
processed items and in turn, supply of raw materials.
Notwithstanding their vital contributions to development,
agro-processing industries also impact negatively on the
environment especially where sustainable practices are not
adhered to. Environmental hazards associated with agro-
processing include: emission of dust and gases that pollute
air quality, discharge of organic wastes into water bodies
and production of noxious substances etc.
With the emergence of agro-tourism, greater link is being
made among tourism, food and the food processing
industries since food is a fundamental element in tourist
experience. Pine and Gilmore (1999) have argued that
increasing competition in consumer markets is driving a
shift from the former service economy towards an
“experience economy”. In this sense, food has become one
of the most important arenas of experience production
(OECD 2012). As noted by Greg in Hjalager and Greg (eds.
2002:3), “food is central to the tourist experience and has
become a significant source of identity formation in
postmodern societies”. Food processing is equally
interesting to the adventurous tourist who seeks novel
experience in terms of observing and taking part in the
processes that bring about the food consumed while away
from home. Little wonder why processing demonstration is
an agro-tourism activity.
As a staple food around the world, rice processing
industries present opportunities for the development of
agro-tourism activities. In the Caribbean island of
Dominican Republic, Efe-Epa Cotui (2017) reports that
efforts are underway to transform the rice industry into a
tourism resource through the rice route initiative. Rice
Route is an ecotourism proposal to complement the
country's traditional leisure offerings of sun and beaches.
Taking advantage of the rice industry and the natural
surroundings, the Rice Route is one of the pillars of the
strategic plan aimed at improving the living conditions for
residents. The Rice Route takes visitors on a tour of the
entire production process from preparing the paddies to
processing the grain.
Be that as it may, the capacity of food processing industries
such as the rice mill to boost agro-tourism activities is a
function of how well challenges in the sector are dealt with.
In a paper on ‘Rice Processing Challenges and Prospects in
Ebonyi State’ delivered on the occasion of 2016 NEST-
FUNAI conference, the following challenges were
identified in the rice processing industry: poor quality and
insufficient paddy rice, equipment constraints and use of
outdated milling technology, poor branding, pitiable
marketing infrastructure, financial constraints, inconsistent
government policy on rice import and lack of well trained
machine operators and committed staff. These and many
more contribute to the poor quality of local rice.
Furthermore, in a paper titled ‘Adding Value to Rice
through Processing in Nasarawa State,’ Allahnana (2014)
regretted that although local farmers produce the bulk of the
rice farmed in Nigeria, they suffer from poor revenue due to
the poor quality of rice produced. He blamed the situation
on lack of knowledge, equipment and technique for the
processors to improve on rice milling. He identified value
addition which can be achieved through improved rice
milling technology as the means by which local rice can
compete favourably with imported rice. Similarly Ajala and
Gana (2015) identified the need to improve the quality of
indigenous rice to compete with foreign rice through
selection and adaptation of modern rice technologies to ease
labour in production and enhance nutritional qualities in
rice processing and production. They also concurred that
government has a central role to play in forming strong
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policies that will favour production of local rice as it is
being practiced in the advanced world.
III. BACKGROUND ACCOUNT OF THE STUDY
AREA
Ebonyi State is one of the highest producer of paddy rice
and “highest rice processor in Nigeria with over
2,080,000MT/annum installed capacity” (NEST-FUNAI
Conference Paper 2016). Much of the state’s feat in the rice
industry can be traced to the Abakaliki Rice Mill.
Established in 1957 with its current location at Inyimagu
community, Abakaliki Rice Mill covers an expanse of land
measuring 1,938.464 square metres (Ujorha, 2014). The
Rice Mill Owners’ Association is the body in charge of the
rice industry. The association is an amalgam of a number of
smaller clusters of businesses which co-exist peacefully.
The groups include the rice blowers, the rice millers, the
rice blenders, the rice de-stoners, the dust/rice husk carriers,
the bag ‘stitchers’, the barrow pushers, the loaders and off-
loaders, the vehicle owners/drivers, and the market
traders.
The rice mill complex is made up of three sections; each of
the sections contains 40 buildings with about 400 persons
working in each section. The mill has 4,500 milling
machines, 50 de-stoning centres, and 10 polishing
machines. According to the Chairman, Joseph Ununu, the
rice mill owners association is made up of 248 members.
There are about 1,500 workers at the mill, and about 500
casual workers. Each milling machine can produce over 140
bushels of rice in four hours. A bushel of rice, which is a
hundred cups, weighs 20kg and a tax of N10 is paid on each
bushel of rice sold.
While going about its business, the rice mill association has
not overlooked its social responsibility to the host
community. For instance, the rice mill association pays a
certain percentage of tax collected to the community. The
association also contributes to community development
projects such as construction of town hall and community
initiated school buildings.
Fig.1: Map of Abakaliki L.G.A. Showing the Location of
Abakaliki Rice Mill
Findings
Rice cultivation in the Abakaliki area begins around the
month of May when rice grains are planted in nursery beds.
The germinated grains stay in the nursery for between two
weeks to a month depending on the specie before they are
transferred to swampy land. Fertilizer application is usually
carried out in the month of July to improve yield, while
harvesting is often done around December. Paddy rice is
usually harvested when the grains have a moisture content
of between 20-25%. In Abakaliki as well as Nigeria where
rice production is nearly entirely in the hands of smallholder
farming, harvesting is manually done. After harvesting,
what follows is threshing. Threshing has to do with
separating grains of rice from the plant by using a machine
or by beating rice plant with objects such as stick. After the
grains are successfully separated from the rest of the plant,
what follows is processing.
Plate.1: A Rice Field at Edda Community, Abakaliki,
Specie: Faro 44.
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At harvesting, the paddy is enveloped by an outer layer
known as husk and the bran which covers the grain seed.
The removal of the outer layers constitutes the milling
process. Rice processing, thus, refers to every activity
involved in transforming raw paddy rice to consumable
form. According to Johnson and Ajibola in Kwabena,
Johnson, and Takeshima (Eds.) (2016:111), the various
critical steps of processing and cleaning tasks before
reaching final consumers constitute the process of adding
value and thus the competitiveness of domestic rice.
Parboiling: Parboiling of paddy is the first stage in rice
processing. Parboiled rice refers to subjecting the paddy rice
to a thermal treatment which makes it to gelatinize before
milling. The parboiling process has one advantage of
helping to conserve the nutritious content of rice grain.
Large metal drums or barrels are positioned on rims of
heavy duty trucks which serve as stands for the drums
leaving spaces for firewood to be inserted underneath. The
barrels or drums are filled with paddy and water. After
soaking the paddy in water for about 30-60 minutes, heating
of the paddy begins until boiling point is reached. The fire
is then put out and the barrels are covered with sacks or
mats as the paddy is left to soak in hot water for the rest of
the day. The following day, the water with which the paddy
was hit is drained or the paddy is sieved and little amount of
fresh water poured into the barrel for steaming the paddy
for about an hour. After steaming, the paddy is drained
and spread on mats for sun-drying. For faster drying, the
paddy is raked at intervals to expose every side of the grains
to heat emanating from the sun.
Milling: This is the process of separating the husk from the
rice grain. “When rice is processed, the husk is removed,
exposing the bran. Rice at this stage is known as ‘brown
rice’. The fibrous bran of brown rice is rich in oil; protein;
B vitamins: thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin; and the
minerals: iron, phosphorus, and potassium” (Microsoft
Encarta, 2009). The milling machine has two channels for
discharging what has gone through it. The front outlet is
where milled grains are released into metal buckets, while
the rear outlet takes care of the rice husk. Broken bits of
rice are discharged together with rice husk from the rear
outlet.
In all, Abakaliki rice has sweet taste, high nutritional value
and does not have black or broken bits of rice. It does not
have to be polished while being processed as often occurs
with foreign rice. It can be grown more than once a year,
this ensures that there is regular supply of fresh rice in the
market. Different types of rice are processed in the mill
such as: 306, R8, R5, Faro 44, Mandela, Brown rice and
Geisha etc. It is of relevance to note that the broken bits of
rice are not left to waste as women take the husks behind
the milling industry to salvage the broken bits which they
use to support their families. The heaps or piles of husk
which accumulate as the women sieve broken bits of rice
have turned into a fascinating sight. The amazing sight of
hills formed by heaps of rice husk is popularly referred to as
‘Abakaliki Greater Rice Husk Hills’.
Plate.2: Parboiling of Paddy
Plate.3: Sieving Paddy
Plate.4: Raking paddy under the sun
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Plate.5: A woman pouring paddy into milling machine
Plate.6: Inside Abakaliki Rice Mill
Abakaliki Greater Rice Husk Hills
Behind the rice mill industry, there is a fascinating scene of
what resembles the ancient pyramids of Egypt; these are the
massive heaps of rice husks now popularly referred to as
‘Abakaliki Greater Rice Husk’. Rice husk is a typical dry or
membranous outer covering of the rice. When compared to
other agro residues, it has higher ash, higher potash content,
crude protein, crude fat and carbohydrates (Barbieri and
Mshenga 2008). Poor women from within and neighbouring
communities have found succor on the ‘husk hill’ as they
come to the site on daily basis to sieve chaff in search of
rice grains (mostly broken bits of rice) which the milling
machines discharged alongside the husk. A symbiosis
occurs between the millers and the women since the women
assist the millers to dispose the husks by conveying the
husks to the hilly dump site at no cost, and in return, the
women pick rice grains to help themselves and their
dependants. The women can be seen at various points of the
‘hills’ as they dutifully climb the husk hill with bags of rice
husks on their heads; and while on top of the ‘hills’, the
activity of sieving the rice husks while conversing in folk
language is quite captivating. The rice husk has various uses
such as providing heat for cooking, as a raw material in
animal feed production and as manure. It is also speculated
that the husks produced in the Abakaliki rice mill can as
well be used for electricity generation.
The rice milling industry presents a good setting for
agricultural tourism experience. Tourists who want to
observe, experience and probably take part in various
fascinating stages (parboiling, sieving, drying, raking, de-
stoning, milling, and bagging etc) involved in local rice
processing will definitely be satisfied if the rice mill is
developed for agricultural tourism. Succinctly put,
Abakaliki Rice Mill is like:
An open-air factory involving hundreds of
frenzied men and women. The sound, the smoke,
the aroma and beehive activity is something
never to be forgotten. The rice pyramids
employing hundreds of peasant women is one of
the most touching, picturesque sights in the
country (Ebonyi State Ministry of Information
2001:29).
Plate.7: The women as they convey bags of rice husks to the
hilly dump site.
Plate.8: The women as they sieve rice grains on the husk
hill.
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Plate.8: Abakaliki Greater Rice Husk Hills
A Survey of Basic Infrastructure for Agro-Tourism
Development
A survey of basic infrastructure for tourism development in
Abakaliki Rice Mill reveals that there is no electricity,
clinic, hotel and fire-fighting services in the milling
industry. The promise by the state ministry of health to
build a clinic for the women who inhale a lot of dust while
sieving rice still remains a fantasy. The availability of an
adequate clinic is very important because visitors may be
exposed to certain risks such as barrow and automobile
accidents since the milling industry is always a beehive of
activities. The non-availability of hotel or restaurant within
the area is somewhat surprising, however, it was learnt that
people are not allowed to cook inside the mill to avoid fire
hazard, because rice husk can easily catch fire. A security
outfit known as ‘triumph’ provides security within the rice
mill premises. There is a borehole drilled by the rice mill
owners’ association, nevertheless, this does not serve the
industry adequately. Additionally, the rice mill has good
access road and toilet facility, though the toilet facility
requires expansion and upgrading for agro-tourism
purposes.
Challenges
Like every association, Abakaliki Rice Mill has some
challenges as was deduced from oral interviews held with
some members of the rice milling industry. Absence of
machines that can help facilitate work is a main challenge.
By way of illustration, the lack of drying machines makes
rice drying, especially in rainy season difficult and risky,
since rice may get spoilt if it fails to dry within 3-4 days.
Again, the non availability of parboiling machines means
that workers depend on firewood; long hours of parboiling
large quantity of rice often results in untold suffering as
workers endure the scorching heat from burning firewood.
It was also gathered that maintenance of the available
machines is a big challenge since machine parts are
expensive to acquire. Water scarcity, especially in dry
season is another problem. Machines used in the mill have
cooling tanks which require a lot of water so that they do
not overheat. Although the rice mill association has drilled a
motorized borehole, informants concurred that the borehole
does not adequately serve the mill. Interview with the
chairman of the milling industry, Joseph Ununu, revealed
that the greatest challenge faced at the mill is neglect by
state government. In addition to the fact that the industry
has not received any assistance from government, the rice
mill venture has equally not benefited from the much talked
about agricultural loans. Furthermore, the promise by the
state ministry of health to build a clinic for the women who
often inhale a lot of dust while sieving rice still remains a
mirage. The only tangible benefit which the mill has
received is, perhaps, the construction of the road leading
inside the mill which was granted by former head of state,
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, when he visited the rice mill.
IV. DISCUSSION
In the view of Cooper, Fletcher, Fyall, Gilbert, and Wanhill
(2006:309), ‘attractions’ offer the single most essential
reason for leisure to destinations. Many of the components
of tourist trip which include transport and accommodation
are demands triggered by consumers’ craving to enjoy
what a destination has to offer in terms of ‘things to see and
do’. The aforementioned is an undisputable fact; however, it
should be borne in mind that while attractions bring visitors
to a destination, the availability of quality infrastructure
makes their stay worthwhile. Findings revealed the non-
availability of basic amenities necessary for agro-tourism
development in Abakaliki Rice Mill such as electricity,
clinic, hotel, fire-fighting service and shortage of water
supply. Thus, going by the SWOT (strength, weakness,
opportunity and threat) analysis, the absence of the
aforementioned amenities are seen as major weakness with
the capacity to impact negatively on the rice mill as an agro-
tourism destination. A major consequence of this is
economic leakage. Leakage has been identified as a
foremost obstacle to maximizing the economic benefits of
tourism in least developed nations such as Nigeria. Christie
and Crompton (2001) remark that the magnitude of leakage
could be a function of the level of development, and
diversification in the destination country as well as a
function of the type of accommodation that is most
appropriate for the country’s natural and cultural resources,
together with the socio-economic conditions.
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Be that as it may, it is pertinent to note that internal
economic leakage also occurs where the tourism host
community is deprived of what it should gain from tourism
spending as a result of factors such as lack of basic tourism
infrastructure. In their study on Exploring Sustainable
Tourism in Nigeria for Developmental Growth, Ayeni and
Ebohon (2012) found that due to lack of basic infrastructure
for tourism, tourists do not stay overnight at destination
communities, hence, the income expected to accrue to the
local economy in terms of tourist spending is diverted to
the city. This may be the case with Inyimagu community
which plays host to Abakaliki Rice Mill except if basic
tourism infrastructure is provided within and around the
community. Surely, provision of basic infrastructure will
add market value to the rice mill both as an agro-processing
industry and as an agro-tourism destination.
In addition, to reposition Abakaliki Rice Mill as an agro-
tourism centre requires that various challenges confronting
rice production and processing have to be mitigated.
Challenges such as inadequate knowledge on soil fertility
management, use of herbicides and pesticides, lack of
appropriate rice farming and processing tools which make
tasks strenuous and laborious, and the expensive nature of
modern farming and processing implements have to be
addressed. Where these issues are not addressed, they will
surely affect productivity which will in turn affect agro-
tourism possibilities in and around the rice mill.
Another important consideration is that of safety and risk
management measures within the rice milling premises. As
was noted earlier, Abakaliki Rice Mill Association is a
fusion of a number of smaller clusters of businesses whose
activities can result in a couple of risks for people including
tourists. Husks are the main by-products of rice milling and
they are highly flammable, therefore, fire-fighting services
should also be a critical consideration in safety and risk
management within rice milling plants. Putting in place
adequate safety and risk management measures should be
given serious consideration since no visitor would want to
revisit a destination with poor safety and risk management
system.
Again, occasional workshop should be organized for rice
mill operators on good processing practices in order to
produce rich, safe and hygienic rice. Such workshop shall
lay emphasis on the need to ensure that rice packaging
machines are free from contamination of dust and other
substances like debris of metal or chemicals such as
lubricant and grease generated during maintenance or while
the machines are at work. Handling pest infestation through
fumigation has to be done with utmost care such that it does
not pose a hazard to operators and consumers. Personal
hygiene of operators is also very important. They should be
tutored to eschew non-hygienic practices during milling
operations such as brushing teeth with chewing stick,
spitting, smoking and allowing body fluid to come in
contact with the product.
Finally, festivals represent a significant force driving
tourism as it has become a key component of
tourism activities. Abakaliki Rice Mill can be made
more robust where cultural festivals of the host community,
Inyimagu, and nearby communities are packed for the
promotion of the rice milling industry as an agro-tourism
centre. Through the assistance of projectors, the annual Izzi
Cultural Carnival can also provide a platform for
‘showcasing’ the various activities in Abakaliki Rice Mill,
especially those rooted in indigenous practices as part of the
heritage of the Izzi people. The Abuja Carnival, for
example, illustrates how festivals can serve as catalyst for
tourism development. Since its inception in 1999, the Abuja
carnival which features cultural displays from the 36 states
of the federation and the federal capital territory is now a
main source of tourist flow to Nigeria. Festival-induced
visits to the study area, no doubt, will lead to stimulation of
economic activities through tourist spending in form of
local transport, lodging, communication services, and
purchase of souvenir, snacks and drinks etc. When
packaged well and given the needed sponsorship, festivals
can play important roles such as being part of destination
planning process for Abakaliki Rice Mill, as well as
providing the crucial link between agro- tourism and
commerce.
V. RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION
Agro-processing industries contribute very significantly to
economic development considering the potential to trigger
backward and forward linkages within the economy of a
place. The food processing arm of agro-processing sector,
in particular, is well positioned just like agriculture itself to
increase its multi-functionality through agri-tourism
because of the centrality of food to tourist experience. Here,
multi-functionality indicates that the role of agro-processing
industries to society transcends their basic function of
transforming raw materials from agriculture to finished
products. As tourists seek more and more authentic, rich
and novel experiences, providing touristic activities on
agro-processing firms is one sure way of increasing the
multi-functionality of agro-processing firms. As regards the
development of Abakaliki Rice Mill as an agro-tourism
destination, there is the need to improve the quality of local
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rice so as to compete favourably with its foreign
counterpart. In line with this, government has a critical role
to play in formulating sturdy policies that will give the
production of local rice a constructive competitive
advantage.
As reported by Yusuf (2017), it is cheering that the
incumbent Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, is
making concerted efforts to lift rice industry in the state to
the highest pedestal. Some of the indicators include making
the three mega rice mill clusters built by his predecessor
functional to complement the Abakaliki Rice Mill by way
of providing the necessary equipment. Another is
encouraging the consumption of home-made rice, and the
introduction of the one-man, one-hectare policy as a way of
boosting the scale of rice production. A key
recommendation of the study is for the state government to
take a more purposeful look at tourism as a complementary
part towards diversifying the state and rural economies. As
a typical agrarian society, Ebonyi State, through its
ministries of agriculture and culture/ tourism can develop
the agro-tourism potentials of its agricultural and agro-
processing sectors. The food processing industries are
dominated by small and medium enterprises operating in
the informal sector. Developing the agro-tourism capacity
of such ventures can help these informal sectors in terms of
supplementary income accruing from the provision of agro-
tourism activities in their firms. What is more? Rural
employment and economic diversification in Ebonyi State
can be propelled though agro-tourism development.
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