PERCEPTIONS OF ADOPTERS ON THE USE OF COCOA TECHNOLOGIES IN EKITI STATE

The study investigated the perceptions of adopters on the use of cocoa technologies in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Specifically, it examined the socio economic characteristics of the cocoa farmers in the study area; identified the various technologies practiced by cocoa farmers; ranked the perception of the farmers towards the use of the technologies and examining the major constraints militating against the use of cocoa technologies. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select sixty (60) respondents in four (4) local government areas namely: Irepodun-Ifelodun LGA; Oye LGA; Ekiti South West LGA and Ise/OrunLGA; which were predominated with cocoa farmers. Technology Perceptive Use Index (TPUI) was employed to access the extent of use of the cocoa technologies by the farmers of which 12.99% of the farmers use cultural maintenance practice to increase production of cocoa and this is most prominent among the farmers in the study area. This is closely followed by the use of fungicides and insecticides and the use of information sources on new methods to improve cocoa production respectively in which 12.91 and 12.56% agreed to these technologies respectively. Moreover, a good number of respondents (11.35%) indicated that adopting all the technologies will definitely boost cocoa production. The least cocoa technology where farmers’ perception is very low is the cutting of the old cocoa trees of which only 4.55% of the respondents indicated its usage. About 28.02% of the respondents identified high cost of adoption as a constraint and this was ranked first among others constraints identified by respondents in the study area.