Problems and Prospects of Shea Production among Rural Households in Gbako Local Government Area of Niger State

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study focuses on the problems and prospects of Shea production among rural households in Gbako Local Government Area of Niger State Forty-five (45) respondents were purposively selected and administered questionnaires. Data were analyzed using mainly descriptive statistics. The results of the analysis revealed that Shea business is mostly a household business carried out by the women folks who mostly lack modern education and having an average family size of 8 members. They mostly depend on their traditional mode of technology in Shea business. Shea nut trading and processing, and Shea butter trading and butter processing are the major Shea business in the area. Problems associated with Shea enterprises in the area include long gestation period of shea tree, snake/scorpion bite, lack of credit support services, poor processing equipment, and lack of standard measures among others. It was recommended that shea nut collectors and processors should be sensitized to form cooperative societies to be able to pool resources together to adopt superior handling and processing methods.