ROLE OF WOMEN PARTICIPATION IN PALM OIL PROCESSING IN BENUE STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study looked at how women in Ogbadigbo local government, Benue State, participated in palm oil processing. The study relied on primary sources. Women's engagement in oil palm processing in Benue State and specifically in Ogbadibo Local Government Area was investigated using a public opinion survey research design. To gather relevant data from respondents in the study region, questionnaires were used. Data was collected from 134 respondents who worked in oil processing of the study area. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, gross margin, multiple regression modeling, and a Likert scale. Oil palm processing had a gross margin of $236135.78, and net processing income of $25367.50 per year. The significance between oil palm processing and palm oil production was tested using a paired sample t-test, which found that it was significant at P≤0.01 with a mean average of 28.10. 62. The results also showed that only 4% of respondents used current methods. Women also complained about insufficient funding and high maintenance costs as important challenges affecting oil palm processors, along with other concerns such as a lack of access to credit, insufficient storage, and a bad road network. Finally, the study advised that significant stages of processes such as fruit digestion and oil extraction be mechanized to relieve female processors of their labor. This will boost the number of women who work in the oil palm industry.