Adoption of Recommended Palm Oil Processing Technology in Isoko North Local Government Area, Delta State, Nigeria

Abstract

The significant roles played by oil palm production in the economy of Nigeria in the years before the advent of crude oil cannot be over-emphasized. The study examined farm families' adoption of recommended palm oil processing technologies in Isoko North Local Government Area, Delta State, Nigeria. The sample comprised 50 palm oil processors selected through random sampling technique. Data were collected with the aid of the structured questionnaire. Moreso, the group discussion was conducted with knowledgeable palm oil processors and owners of palm oil mills in selected communities. Data analyses were done with descriptive statistics (i.e. percentages). The result revealed that the perception of farmers on the level of adoption of recommended technologies (sterilizer, digester, and mechanical press) was high, threshing and separating machine was low and oil clarifier had zero level of adoption. The highlight the major constraints facing processors. These includes, high cost of processing, access to credit facilities, lack of government support, lack of extension contact, fluctuation of selling prices, inaccessibility to processing technologies and high cost of transportation. It was recommended that cost of processing equipment be subsidized by government and credit facilities made more accessible to small scale processors. Researchers should develop more semi- mechanized palm oil processing technologies that do not require huge cost, while palm oil processors should be encouraged to form cooperatives so as to pull their resources together to take advantage of these technologies.