Assessment of Farmers’ Knowledge and Attitude to Tea Value Chain in Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study assessed farmers’ knowledge and attitudes to tea production in Cross River State.  A Purposive sampling technique was used to select Cross River State. One hundred and nine respondents were randomly selected from Akampa, Boki, Etian, Ikom, Etung, Obubra and Yakurr Local Government Areas. A structured questionnaire was used. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. The results revealed that the majority of the respondents (91.74%) had not heard about the tea crop, (92.66%) were not aware of tea cultivation, and (95.41%) of the farmers had not seen the tea crop. Similarly, most (90.83%) of the farmers were not aware of the different varieties of tea crops, while all (100%) of the farmers did not recognise that tea is a perennial crop, and 98.17% of the farmers do not identify tea as a commodity crop. Likewise, 96.33% of the farmers do not understand that the tea crop can thrive in Cross River State. The study concluded that the tea crop is new, and there is a wide knowledge gap in the value chain in the study area. Therefore, it’s imperative to introduce the tea crop value chain to these farmers to benefit from the numerous advantages the tea crop can offer.