ANASSESSMENT OF THE ROLE OF ROAD TRANSPORT IN THE MOVEMENT OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE IN MAKARFI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAOF KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

Thesis Overview

<p> </p><div><p><strong>INTRODUCTION</strong></p><p><strong>1.1</strong>&nbsp;<strong>Background</strong>&nbsp;<strong>to</strong>&nbsp;<strong>the</strong>&nbsp;<strong>Study</strong></p><p>All over the world, transport is regarded as an important factor involved in</p><p>agricultural development. It is the only means by which food produced at farm site is</p><p>moved to different homes as well as markets. Thus, transport creates market for</p><p>agricultural produce, enhances interaction among geographical and economic regions and</p><p>opens up new areas to economic focus. Also, adding that transport is a key ingredient in the</p><p>development of rural areas which provides people with access to various goods and</p><p>services.</p><p>Agricultural production is very important to the economy of developing nations as a</p><p>whole and Nigeria in particular. It is the major occupation of the inhabitants and people of</p><p>the country while it provides employment directly or indirectly for at least 60% of the</p><p>people in Kaduna State. Usman (2008) opined that irrigation farming also contributes to the</p><p>production of food in MakarfiLocal Government Area (LGA) and beyond. Hence, advising</p><p>farmers to adopt an intense agricultural production practices in support of the Federal</p><p>Government‟s Policies of the seven-point agenda (i.e. eradicating poverty and ensuring</p><p>surplus availability for food and raw materials for both domestic consumption and</p><p>exportation purposes). The major agricultural products found in the area are maize, rice,</p><p>guinea corn, millet, beans, sugar cane, and melon amongst others. These products serve as</p><p>food for man and raw materials for industries within and outside the state. They provide</p><p>revenue to farmers and generate foreign exchange to the government.</p><p>1</p></div><p><br></p><div><p>Despite the fact that Nigeria is basically an agrarian country and the majority of the</p><p>goods to be transported are mostly agricultural products which are by nature often bulky,</p><p>low-priced, and highly perishable especially fruits and vegetables. Such produce must</p><p>however be conveyed from their area of production to their zone of consumption with</p><p>minimum delay and cost. There is the need therefore for a correspondingly wide-spread</p><p>transport net-work to take produce from farm to market. It is observed that inadequate</p><p>supply and high cost of food stuff is as a result of inefficient transportation and distribution.</p><p>Also, inadequate transport provision leads to the total waste of agricultural foodstuff</p><p>produced. The role of transport is therefore very crucial such that production process is not</p><p>complete until the commodity is in the hands of the final consumers. Availability of</p><p>transport facilities is therefore a key critical investment factor that stimulates economic</p><p>growth through increased accessibility, its efficiency and effectiveness.</p><p>Vehicular modes of moving agricultural goods include tractors, pick-up vans,</p><p>trucks, car, buses, motorcycle and bicycle with each having its cost and attendant problems.</p><p>Transportation cost is determined by a number of factors which include, length of haulage,</p><p>nature of goods, the environment, competition among transporters availability of return</p><p>haulage among others (Williams, 1985).</p><p>Makarfi LGA is situated in the northern part of Nigeria and is predominantly an</p><p>agricultural area. The dominant means of transportation is by road. The LGA has two</p><p>major roadsand a number of feeder roads.It is against this background that an attempt is</p><p>made to examine in depth the role of motor vehicles in the movement of agricultural</p></div> <br><p></p>