Sub-Theme 1: E-Business and Value Chain Development in the Agricultural Sector

Plantains .are crops of econoptic value and can serve as a source of foreign exchange if given prop r attention. Not much has been documented on this potential especially as regards the profit accrued by the various actors in the plantain value chain. The study estimated the profit margin of players along the plantain value chain, examined the factors affecting the gain of actors and identified the constraints faced by the actors. Stratified sampling technique was used to select 125 producers, processors and marketers in Osun state. Primary data was collected using well-structured interview schedule. Gross and marketing margin, Ordinary least square regression and Likert-type scale were used for data analysis. The study revealed that the gross margin accrued to plantain producers wa. N207, 777.42/ha per annum, while the marketing margin/bunch for the plantain processors and marketers was N4 l 5 ( 41.5%) and N378 (37.8%) respectively. Household size, quantities of labour, suckers and pesticide used were factors that affected the gross margin of producers. Total input cost and transportation cost contributed to the marketing margin of processors and marketers. Maj or constraint faced by plantain farmers was the high cost of labour. The high cost of plantain and lack of a uniform unit of measurement were the most severe constraints among processors and marketers respectively. The study concluded that the plantain value chain was profitable for a ll the actors, and recommended that the government should formulate incentives that would encourage more people to go into plantain production, processing and marketing.