Speakers - 2026

Title: Agripreneurship and economic viability of oil palm seedlings production in ovia north east local government area of edo state Nigeria

Abstract

The choice of any enterprise for Agripreneurship demands high profitability of that venture. This study was conducted to evaluate the economic viability of oil palm seedlings production. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select a total 100 oil palm seedlings farmers from five purposively chosen communities namely; Isiuwa, Ugbogiobo, Ofumwegbe, Uhiere and Obazuwa. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics such as; gross margin analysis and BCR. The socio economic characteristics reveal that it is a male (58.5%) dominated enterprise. The result indicated that 57.1% of the growers were within the age range of 43-57 years with a mean age of 51 years. The cost and returns analysis showed that oil palm seedlings production is profitable, with a gross margin of 1,145,674.32 and a Net Farm income (NFI) of 980,067.25 per production cycle. The highest production costs were labour (27.4%), irrigation materials (17.4%), and transportation (10.6%). A  BCR ratio of 3.16 implies that the enterprise is highly profitable and viable in the study area. Return on investment (ROI) of 1.38 implies that for every 1 invested there is a gain of 1.38 kobo. It was concluded that oil palm seedlings is a profitable and viable economic venture . It is recommended that regular and targeted training should be provided to improve farmers' knowledge of modern farming techniques and input utilization and subsidized fertilizers, improved seeds, and pesticides should be introduced to reduce production costs and enhance profitability

.Keywords: Agripreneurship, oil palm seedlings, Profitability, Economic viability