No abstract

The study ascertained the determinants of households’ preference for beef to pork in Umuahia Metropolis of Abia State, Nigeria. Using multi-stage random sampling procedure, data were collected from eighty household heads for the study. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive  statistics, ordinary least square and probit regression analysis. Findings from the study showed that beef was most preferred with 63.75% of  households indicated preferences for beef to pork while 36.25% of households preferred port to beef. The study also revealed age of household head, and price of meat negatively influenced meat consumption while household size and average monthly income had positive influence and the R2 was 0.675 which implied 67.5% of the variation in the meat consumption was explained by the independent variables. From the probit regressionmodel the results showed age of household heads and price of pork had a negative coefficient and were significant at 10% and 5% level of probability respectively, while household size, education level, and household income had positive coefficient and were significant at 1%, 5%, and 1% level of probability, respectively. The Chi square was 135.485 which indicated the goodness of fit for the equation and was significant at 1% level of probability. The study recommended beef marketing as a good venture in the study area; beef was most preferred meat in the study. Hence, it is recommended that unemployed persons should be encouraged to venture into beef marketing; also, there is huge potential for pork marketing in the study area. Key words: preferences, household, beef, pork

This study was designed to comparatively examine the profitability of small and medium scale cassava and palm fruit processing in Abia State, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling technique was adopted in selecting 50 cassava and 50 palm fruit processors to give total respondents of 100. Simple descriptive statistics such as means and percentages, cost and returns analysis and Z-test were adopted in analyzing the data. The socioeconomiccharacteristics of the processors showed that middle aged persons between 25 and 54 accounted for majority (70% and 60%) of the respondents for cassava and palm fruit processors respectively. Also majority (60% and 64%) of the respondents were female. The majority of the respondents (60% and 54%) of the cassava and palm fruit processors had at least secondary education implying that the processing business was dominated by literates/elites. Cassava processors gained monthly net returns of N308,000 as against N 227,000 realized by palm fruit processors, indicating that cassava processing is more profitable than palm fruit processing. In view of its contribution to this paper, the following are recommended: a re-establishment of active processing firms which are income-spinning ventures; on the macro-level, government should discourage the exportation of competing products which has a multiplier effect on the operations of the firms and as such protect them from harsh competitions capable of weakening their profit performances. Key words: This study was designed to comparatively examine the profitability of small and medium scale