Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on agro-inputs distribution in Ogun State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on agro-inputs distribution and sales along the agricultural supply chain (ASC) in Ogun State, Nigeria. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 96 agro-dealers from the Abeokuta and Ilaro ADP zones of Ogun State. Data were collected and analysed using a computer assisted personalized interviewing (CAPI) system. Findings showed that 89% of the respondents sold agro-inputs in the shops, 26% in the rural villages, and 19.8% at market stands. Due to the lockdown, 68.8% closed down shops for 35 – 39 days, 92.7% found it difficult to move agro-inputs from the stores to the villages, and 85.4% incurred high costs in transporting agro-inputs from urban to the rural areas. Likewise, 61.5% reported low patronage of fewer than 10 customers per week while the average weekly sales dropped from ₦60,000 to 15,600 for maize seeds, ₦78,000 to 27,000 for herbicides, and ₦336,000 to 120,000 for fertilizers. The lockdown was significantly affected patronage (β = 0.64) and sales (β = 0.72). The COVID-19 pandemic affected patronage and sales of agro-inputs in Ogun State.