Economic Implications of Credit Assessment on Arable Crops and Non-Forest Timber Products Utilization in South-South, Nigeria

The study examined the effect of credit on arable crop production and non – forest timber products utilization. Data from 315 respondents were acquired through structured questionnaires and summarized using descriptive statistics while regression model was employed in evaluating the effect of credit on arable crop production. Results obtained proved that the age range of the respondents was 39-45 years, with a mean age of 40 years. Primary school educational level were in majority which were dominated by males that were mostly married, having a mean household size of 8 persons. The mean farm size was 0.6ha with a mean farming experience of 10 years. Farmers relied more on informal credit sources for crop production and non – forest timber product utilization. The result of the regression analysis proved a positive significant relationship between the amount of credit received and output. The study recommends that Governmental and non-governmental credit issuing stakeholders should make credit readily available to farming households and farmers at the rural level should be sensitized and informed about credit facilities at their disposal.