Profitability of fertilizer use on sugarcane among out-grower farmers in Buikwe district

Abstract

A total of 101 out growers of sugar cane in Buikwe district were involved in the study, males constituted the highest percentage (81.19%) while women constituted only 18.81%. The mean ± Standard deviation of age for the farmers was 39±11. 84.18% were married, 10.89% were single and only 4.95% were widows/widower. Farmers with primary level of education accounted for 55.22% with the least proportion having University level education (8.96%). 92.08% of the farmers had access to extension services and 89.0%, 8.0% and 3.0% had received extension visits of 5-15, 16-25 and >25 times in the past three months. . For farmers who borrowed credit >4 million, all used the bank and none from SACCO and other sources and 70.3% of the farmers own the land while 29.7% rent. The use of fertilizer was high among farmers where those who use fertilizes constituted 72/101 (71.29%). There was a statistically significant difference in the profitability of sugar cane among sugar cane out-grower farmers who used fertilizer and those who didn’t use fertilizer (p value =0.0073). Factors that significantly affect the profitability of sugar cane out grower farmers in Buikwe district were mainly size of land (acreage), cost of land, transport cost, household size and use of fertilizer. Farmers should get involved in integrated sustainable intensification practices and limit the cost of other inputs in order to maximize profits.