Economic Evaluation of Firstbank Small-Scale Agricultural Credit

This study was aimed at the economic evaluation of First Bank agricultural credit scheme and its impact on beneficiary¿s income. Primary data and oral interview were utilized in the study. The primary data were obtained from 206 farmers (beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of credit) selected using simple random sampling techniques in five (5) Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Kaduna and Katsina states in the 2009 cropping season. The tools of analysis used were descriptive statistics, probit model analysis, stochastic frontier production function and revenue function. The result of probit model analysis indicates that the following variables: household size and farming experience were important factors that influence farmers¿ use of credit. These all have coefficients that contribute significantly in determining farmer¿s participation in First Bank¿s agricultural credit scheme. The results of impact analysis on income of the farmers revealed that fertilizer use, labour, seed and probability of credit usage (predicted variable) were the important variables that contribute significantly to the income of the farmers.