An Exploration Of The Challenges Of Micro, Small And Medium Scale Farmers In Ile-Ife Township Of Osun State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study explored the factors suppressing micro, small and medium enterprising (MSME) farmersin Ile-Ife Township of Osun State, Nigeria with a view to find the obstaclesmilitating against the performance of the small and medium enterprises subsector to the Nigeria economy and recommend ameliorative measures to make the sub-sector strong and vibrant in order to play the crucial role in Nigeria economy growth and development.Primary and secondary sources of data were utilized for the study. Primary sources of data were employed using structures questionnaires while secondary sources were from books, journals, newspapers, internet sources and public lectures on the field of industrial small and medium scale farmers. Multi stage random sampling was used to select a total of 120 respondents utilized for the study. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to achieve the objectives of the study. The results from the questionnaires revealed that SMEs have performed below expectation due to a combination of challenges which ranges from financial constraint, poor managerial skills, poor road network, weakness in organizational marketing and information, low and dwindling consumer personal, multiple taxes, insecurity of lives and properties and lexies, attitude and habits of SME famers themselves through frequent policy changes and somersault government instability and environmental related factor among others. The paper concluded that government should take a practical radical approach to address the identified problems of SME farmers inIle-Ife Township of Osun State, Nigeria.