PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF TUMERIC (Curcuma longa) IN EKITI STATE, NIGERIA.

Tumeric, Curcuma Longa Linn is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It is known to possess economic, medical and nutritional properties. The world production of Tumeric is estimated to be about 1,600,000 tonnes, of which India accounts for 78 percent. The roles of marketing on the other hand cannot be over emphasized because production centers are fragmented and mostly in small scale. It is however obvious that increasing production without corresponding increase in marketing may amount to wastage of resources. It becomes imperative to examine the production and marketing of Tumeric in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Data were obtained from two NIHORT-adopted villages in Ekiti state due to their prominence in the production and marketing of Tumeric. Eighty-six (86) respondents comprising of fifty-three (53) producers and thirty-three (33) marketers were randomly selected and a well-structured questionnaire was administered. Data was analyzed using descriptive, regression analysis and gini-coefficient to measure the performance of producers and marketers respectively in the study area. Results revealed that more than half of the respondents (69.2%) were females with (53.4%) being elderly respondents. Also, 72.6% were married 45% were illiterates. The regression analysis revealed that educational level and farm size of respondents were significant variables affecting production of Tumeric while the gini-coefficient result showed that Tumeric marketing in Ekiti State tended towards perfect competition. Therefore, an awareness on the economic, nutritional and health benefits of Tumeric will enhance its production and marketing capabilities in Ekiti State.