PROFITABILITY AND ITS DETERMINANTS OF MODERN HONEY PRODUCTION AMONG BENEFICIARIES OF KSAMBTT IN KANO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study was conducted to examine the economics of modern honey production and among the beneficiaries of KSAMBTT Kano State, Nigeria. Structured questionnaire were used to collect information from 125 honey producers using multistage sampling techniques. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, budgetary techniques, and multiple regression model. The study revealed that majority of honey producers were male and married with mean age of 40.27 years, about 87% had one form of education or the other, and a mean of 8 household members. The study also revealed that majority of honey producers had mean production experience of 14 years. The study showed that the average total output per unit of production was 220 liters per year, total cost was N620.70 per liter, and total gross revenue per liter was N1496.80 with net income of N876.10 per liter. Age (p<0.05), marital status (p<0.05), cost of modern equipment (p<0.01), and number of modern beehive (p<0.1) were the factors significantly influencing the profitability of honey production in the study area. The study further indicated that high cost of equipment, scarcity of modern processing equipment and tools and poor management were the major problems affecting honey production in the study area. The study concluded that honey production was a profitable venture in the study area and those farmers that were engaged in the venture obtained good returns. The study recommended that government and non-governmental organizations should organize more honey production trainings at a large scale so as to accommodate more people especially females in the business.