Determinants of loan repayment by beneficiary farmers under the integrated farmers scheme in Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria

This study examined determinants of loan repayment by beneficiary farmers under the Integrated Farmers Scheme (IFS) in AkwaIbom State of Nigeria. Most government and other institutional funding effort to agricultural sector have been fraught with difficulties especially defaulting on loan contract. The specific objectives are: assess the factors that affect loan repayment among the beneficiaries, examine the level of loan repayment performance and to ascertain the factors that influence loan repayment of the beneficiaries in the study area.Primary data used for the study were collected with the aid of a well-structured questionnaire. Simple random sampling was used to select the eighty four respondents. Data collected were analyzed using mean, percentages and Ordinary Least Square. Result shows that 89.23% of beneficiaries indulged in diversion of loan to family uses. Loan performance indices estimated shows that only 25.94% of borrowed amount was repaid as at when due. This situation indicated a low repayment performance. Empirical result shows that loan from other sources, farming experience, amount of money borrowed and total income were the significant factors that influenced loan repayment. It was concluded that low repayment limited effective loan administration in the study area. It was recommended that regular monitoring by lender should be heightened to ensure prompt repayment. Farmers should be encouraged by the funding agency to repay loan promptly, this could be through education, persuasion and at times necessary threatening with Police arrest and exclusion from further funding.Keywords: Loan Repayment, Farmer Beneficiary, Integrated Farmers Scheme, Determinant

Influence of loan repayment of farmer beneficiaries with the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

This study examined factors that influence loan repayment of beneficiary farmers under the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) in Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria. Primary data used for the study were collected with the aid of a well-structured questionnaire. Simple random sampling was used to select the fifty-six respondents. Data collected were analyzed using simple statistical tools such as means and percentages and Ordinary Least Square (OLS) models. Result shows that 64.3% of the total respondents were males who were about 40.5years old. Majority (96.4%) were married with average household size of 5 persons. Average years spent in formal education was 13years while farming experience was 11years. Majority (78.57%) of the farmers were involved in trading as their secondary occupation. The major reasons why famers borrow were to make higher income through expansion of scale of operations. Good repayment arrangement and the lending policies attracted most clients to borrow from this source. Loan performance indices estimated showed that only 64.38% of the total amount granted as loan was repaid by the beneficiaries as at when due. This situation indicated a low level of repayment performance. The result of the multiple regression analysis showed that sex, age, amount of money borrowed and interest amount were the significant factors that influenced loan repayment. Based on the findings, it was recommended that loans should not be granted to farmers who have defaulted in repayment terms and who might put the loan into effective use. The lending source should strategize on how to censor beneficiaries effectively. The amount granted as loans to farmers should be increased to be more productive to augment gross income of the farmer to repay loan.Keywords: Loan repayment, farmer beneficiary, Bank of Agriculture (BOA

The role of prostaglandins in livestock production

Prostaglandins belong to the family of lipid. Soluble unsaturated hydroxyl acid containing twenty carbon (c) atoms and based on the prostanoic acid skeleton. There are two main types of Prostaglandins (PGs), the E and F series each having 3 members E1, E2, E3 and F1σ, F2σ, F3σ. The other PGs are known as secondary PGs and are products of enzymic or chemical dehydrations of PGEs e.g PG+2, PGA2, PGD2 and PGB. Prostaglandins are probably the most important regulators of female productive functions (ovulation, uterine receptivity, Implantation and parturition) and associated with pathologies (pain, fever, and inflammation), apart from sex steroids. Prostaglandins are not stored in tissues but are synthesized and released in response to a given stimulus. Prostaglandins are produced by all nucleated cells of the body and act locally in a paracrine (locally active) or autocrine (acting on the same cell from which it is in a synthesized) fashion. Prostaglandins are therefore regarded as essential mediators of female reproductive processes, hence, this paper seeks to review the role of Prostaglandins which is exploited in livestock production especially oestrus synchronization and induced parturition.KEYWORDS: Prostaglandins, Production, Role, Livestoc

Phytochemical Screening and Antibacterial Activities of Aframomum melegueta (K. Schum) Seed Extracts on Salmonella typhi and Klebsiella pneumoniae

The phytochemical screening and antibacterial effects of Aframomum melegueta (K. Schum)on Salmonella typhi and Klebsiella pneumoniae was carried out. The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, steroids, anthraquinones, terpenoids, glycosides  and phenols in the seed extract. The susceptibility test showedzones of inhibition (ZOI) of S. typhi (11.0mm) and K. pneumonia (13.0mm)with methanolic seed extract (MSE), while the hot aqueous seed extract (HASE) recorded 3.0mmas ZOI for both test organisms. The Minimum  inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 200mg/ml and 100mg/ml were recorded against S. typhi and K. pneumoniae respectively with MSE, while HASE indicated 400mg/ml and 200mg/ml MICs against S. typhi and K. pneumoniae respectively. The Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) obtained from MSE were 200 mg/ml and 25mg/ml for S. typhiand K. pneumoniae, while HASE had > 400mg/ml for test microbes. The effectiveness of different concentrations of the test plant extracts on the test organisms was significant (P<0.05). Further trials involving other clinical isolates and botanicals at different concentrations be conducted, to optimize theprocess. Keywords: Phytochemical, Antimicrobial, Aframomum melegueta, Salmonella typhi, Klebsiella pneumonia

Influence of breeds and number of whorls on phenotypic traits and correlations among giant African land snails in Nigeria

Six hundred adult mature black-skinned snails with four and five whorls on the shellcomprising of 200 each of the breeds; Archachatina marginata, Achatina achatina andAchatina fulica were used for the study. Phenotypic traits measured from the snails includedbody weight (BDW), shell length (SHL), shell width (SHW), aperture length (APL), aperturewidth (APW), spiral length (SPL), spiral width (SPW), diagonal length (DAL), lengthbetween the aperture and first spiral (LAS). The data obtained were used to estimate simplestatistics (mean, standard error and coefficient of variations) and correlation coefficients.The results showed high significant (p<0.01) breed effects on phenotypic traits as A. marginata snails with four (288.700g) and 5(394.500g) whorls were phenotypically and genotypically heavier, larger andwider thanA. achatina (127.0g and 182.000g) andA. fulica (48.850g and 65.050g) with four and five whorls respectively. There were also high significant (p<0.01) disparity number of whorls effects on bodyweight and other phenotypic traits studied. There was only one strong, negative and significant (p<0.01) phenotypic correlation (r ) between SHL and LAS (r = – 0.650) recorded for A. achatina snails with four whorls while A. achatina snails with five whorls recorded few strong, negative and significant (P<0.01) phenotypic correlations betweenBDWandSHW(r=– 0.613),SHL and LAS (r = –0.641), SHW and APW (r = – 0.602). Similarly, A. fulica snails with four whorls recorded few strong, negative and significant (p<0.01) phenotypic correlations between BDW and SHW (r = – 0.627), SHL and APL (r = – 0.639), SHWand APW(r = – 0.657) and only one strong, negative and significant (p<0.01) phenotypic correlation between SHL and LAS (r = – 0.605) for A. fulica snails with five whorls. Again, Am snails with four whorls had only one strong, negative and significant (p<0.01) phenotypic correlation between BDWand SHL (r = – 0.720). The only two low, positive and significant (p<0.05) phenotypic correlations recorded in this study were between APL and APW ((r = 0.544) and between SPL andDAL (r=0.583) forA.marginata snailswith four and fivewhorls respectively. Thus, the breed type and number of whorls on snail shells strongly influenced estimates of phenotypic traits and correlation coefficients of giant African land snails in Nigeria. Also, that estimates of correlation coefficients of mature giant African land snails with higher whorls were (4 and 5) are scarcely strong, positive and significant. The study revealed and confirmed that A. marginata snails are phenotypically and genotypically heavier, larger and wider than A. achatina and A. fulica snails with 4 and 5 whorls. These estimates are recommended as strong and efficient tools for selection and up grading or improvement of giant African land snails genetic traits inNigeria

Assessment of Biodiesel Fuel Potentials of Seed Crude Oil Extracts of Balanites aegyptiaaca (L.) Del

Study on assessmentof biodiesel fuel potentials of seed crude oil extracts of Balanites aegyptiaaca (L.) Del was carriedout. Standard methods of the Association of Official and Analytical Chemist (AOAC) were adopted to evaluate the proximate, physico-chemical properties and fatty acid  compositions of crude seed oil extracts of the test plant. The proximate constituents of the crude seed oil extract gave crude protein (22.09%), crude fat (56.75%), moisturecontent (1.35%), ash (4.70%), crudefiber (12.75%) and carbohydrate (2.36%). The crude oil physicochemical properties included saponification value(216.439mgKOH/g), peroxide value(4.84meq/kg), acid value(2.18mgKOH/g), iodine value(77.08g/100g), viscosity  value(150.3@30°C) and cetane number(54.08), refractive index(1.487 @30°C), relative density (0.949g/cm3) while calorific value was 39.03(MJ/kg). The fatty acids composition of crude kernel oil extract of B. aegyptiaca indicated the presence of four (4) fatty acids, with relative percentage abundance (RPA) in the order of 67.17% (9,12-Octadecanoic acid (C19 H3402)) > 16.22% (Pentadecanoic acid (C17H3402)) > 11.8kg% (Heptacosanoic acid (C28H5602)) > 4.72% (Oleic acid(C18H3402)). These properties conferred relative prospects on the crude oil of the test plant as a suitable  potential biodiesel substrate and consequently, large scale aforestation efforts be renewed, to guarantee ready availability of the raw materials. Keywords: Balanites aegyptiaca, Biodiesel, proximate, physicochemical, crude seed oil extract