ABSTRACT The effects of socio-economic variables on credit needs of farmers in Benue State were investigated. A set of structured questionnaire was administered on 180 respondents randomly selected from eighteen communities in the state. The socioeconomic variables considered in this study include: age distribution, farm size, farming experience, educational status, family size, and farm income. The result showed a positive relationship between all the socio-economic variables mentioned and credit required by farmers. It was therefore, recommended that government, financial institutions and other relevant agencies involved in loan disbursement to farmers should take serious cognizance of their socio-economic background to determine the appropriate loan to individual farmers
