Awareness, access and utilization of certified seeds by rice farmers in Ebonyi State

The study assessed the awareness, access and utilization of certified seeds by rice farmers in Ebonyi State. One hundred and Twenty respondents were selected for the study using a multi-stage random sampling procedure. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed with percentages, mean and Probit regression at 5% significance level. Results show that 51.7% of the farmers were aware of certified rice seeds. The main sources of information on certified seeds were cooperative associations (72.5%) and mass media (49.0 %). Certified rice seeds were available for the farmers (x̄ =1.8) but not always accessible ( x̄= 1.3). Majority of the farmers utilized FARO 44 (74.2%) due to its early maturing and high yielding quality. Membership of a cooperative association (0.600) and ownership of phones (0.012) had positive significant influence on the utilization of certified seeds. The study concludes that rice farmers have low access to certified seeds and recommends that the value chain for the distribution of certified seeds should be re-invigorated to ensure that certified seeds become more accessible to farmers