Assessing challenges faced by Sweet Potato Producers in improving their Incomes in Apo Sub County- Yumbe District

Abstract

Sweet potato (Ipomea batatas L) is an important food and cash crop in Apo sub county Yumbe District. Most farmers mostly women devote about 40% of their cultivated land to sweet potato and consider the crop as the most profitable agricultural activity. The produce is marketed to consumers throughout Apo sub county -Yumbe district , especially to urban populations, who find it as an affordable source of carbohydrates. However, There has been no studies conducted to properly document this important details regarding sweet potato produce and the farmers them selves in Apo subcounty specifically with particular emphasis on marketing channels and value addition processes of sweet potato in Apo subcounty. During this study efforts were put in improving the gaps in sweet potato marketing and value addition activities. The outcomes of these efforts are expected to be implemented in the public media. Therefore, this study was set to assess challenges faced by Producers of sweet potato industry in Apo Sub -Yumbe district. The study adopted a cross sectional survey using structured questionnaires. Information was obtained from sweet potato producers, Consumers, Processors, Retailers and whole sales. There were around 2500 sweet potato farmers in Apo Sub County, and 225 (9%) of them were interviewed, either as individuals or in focus group discussions. Data was organized into tables, graphs and analyzed using Excel Microsoft software. The results were expressed in Percentages and frequencies. Majority of the farmers were women (85.32%), aged around 30 to 39 years. The produce was sold days after harvest, usually at the farm gate and mostly to the Retailers and direct consumers, though there were other channels like the wholesales, cooperatives, supermarkets and social media. There is Apo Marketing Cooperative Society, but only 6% of sweet potato farmers were registered members, and were using it to market their produce (According to the extension officers of the sub county). Value addition activities included chopping and drying tubers to produce flour for the consumers benefit and other value addition processes were boiling and frying This study noted that sweet potato producers mainly dried their produce so as to increase the shelf life in the market ,it also noted that all the forms of value addition mentioned above were not substantial in business perspective for the producer to make a profit of his produce. It further found that lack of storage facility forced the producers to dispose off their products at relatively low prices. It was found that the main market channel used by sweet potato producers were the consumers and retailers. However, these still presented a problem of irregular and in consistent buying of the sweet potato from the producers. The study strongly recommends that the sweet potato marketing cooperative should be strengthened in order to provide producers with adequate knowledge and skills. In addition, value addition processes should be further developed to minimize losses of fresh produce and increase earnings of producers and marketers of sweet potato. High technology be employed in the processing of sweet potato and this possible through availing required and standard equipment to process their produce