ABSTRACT
Survey was undertake
to assess the Anambra state Tractor Hiring Company. The study adopted the use
of a questionnaire and interview schedules, discussion and personal observation
for primary data collection. The unit had a total of 15 tractors 10 Disc
ploughs, 6 Disc harrow 6 Discridgers, and 3 trailers, all in good working
conditionexcept for one non functional tractor (scrap). The unit was poorly
equipped with fairly adequate shed and was under staffed with a
maintenanceculture that is service driven. The unit had very few beneficiaries
due to high cost of hiring, limited number of availabletractors to hire, delay
in service delivery, delays in acquiring spare parts needed for repairs, in
accessibility due to remoteness of farms and size of farm holdings, poor land
clearing, unskilled tractor operators and administrative bottlenecks. It is
recommended that an alternative shed be provide and the workshop should be
properly equipped and it structure properly renovated, and in there should be
adequate funding to it by the state government in order to help the unit serve
the state better.
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1.
Background of the study
Agriculture was and
until the discovery of oil and oil boom of the 1970s, the mainstay of the
Nigeria Economy cash crops such as cocoa, cotton, groundnut and livestock
products contributed more than 70% of total exports. It provided employment for
over 60% of the populaces most of whom were resident in the remote and rural
areas of the country (source). Various food crops were also cultivated in
sufficient quantities to meet the demand of the teeming population and Nigeria
was one of the food self-sufficient countries of the world.(Ado, 2005; Anen,
2005; Balogun, 2001; Ikpi and Ikpi, 1998; Moorhead, 2005; Nwuba, 2009, Opafa
2006).
The discovery and
exploration of crude oil as a more lucrative income earner for the country was
the first major setback to the agricultural sector. Also the introduction of
the nationwide Universal Primary Education (UPE) in the 1970s and free
education in the country in 1979, further reduced farm labour are youths
withdrew from the farms to go school. It becomes in caressingly difficult to
feed the teeming masses and the country resorted to importing food to
supplement the one grown at home. It was considered necessary to reserve the
trend and the three approaches adopted were the use of improved and high
yielding varieties of crops, use of agro-chemicals and expansion of hectares
under cultivation by use of alternative source of power. These lead to the use
of tractors as an alternative source of power since animal power wasn’t
applicable in most regions of the nation due to tse- tse fly attacks, and also
an encouragement youths who have been discouraged from farming operations due
to its drudgery. But due to the high cost of acquiring these tractors, hiring
schemes were set up at different levels of government to enable farmers increase
their agricultural productivity. (Anon, 1990; Nwuba, 1986;Onwualu et al, 2006;
Anazodo et al, 1987; Hamidu and Simmon, 1999)
Thus, tractors –
hiring scheme was adopted by almostall the states in Nigerian, aimed at helping
the small scale farmers increase their farms sizes. Hamidu and Simon (1999)
reported that even though the establishment of tractor hiring service were
expected to make farmers have access to tractors and implements for various
farm operations, this opportunity has not been fully exploited by farmers
because of irregular and untimely availability of these tractors due to
frequent” breakdown, lack of spare parts and bureaucratic bottleneck
1.2.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The work when adopted
will provide data and information which will be useful in the following ways-
1. To provide
knowledge on the level of mechanization available from the unit in the state.
2. To provide
knowledge of the technical capacity of the unit in repairs and maintenance of
equipment.
3. To provide solution
to improve the quantity and quality of service at the unit.
1.4
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
1. To asses how the
unit activities are coordinated in state, federal and private owned ministries.
2. To determine the
equipment inventory and conditions in the units adequacy of the units’ personnel
shed and workshop facilities.
3. To assess the
nature of services rendered and their charges.
4. To asses the
maintenance culture of the unit and common problems faced during maintenance,
and proffer solutions.
5. To observe the
impact of the unit on the farming community.
SCOPE
OF WORK
The scope of this
work covers the assessment on the technical and operational capacity of south
east states tractor hiring company.