THE ROLE OF COMMERCIAL BANKS IN FINANCING

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY

In the immediate past decade and this present decade, there have been seminars, conferences, articles, Journals and various publications by both local, national and International Organizations on the sharp decline in Agricultural production on these various programmes, some of these workshops, conferences and seminars include the followings: – The 13th Annual workshop of the South – West Research Extension Farmers impute Linkage system (REFILS) helped at the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (I.A.R.T), Moor plantation Ibadan in March 2000 with topic “Adaptive Research and Method in Agriculture” . – An Annual conference Organized by Agricultural Extension society of Nigeria (AESON) held at university of Ibadan Conference Society of Nigeria Centre, Ibadan on 10 – 12 April, 2000. They emphases on the need to promote agricultural production to reduce the unguided population explosion which is at geometrical progression (G.P) while Agricultural production was only growing in an arithmetical progression.

These seminars, workshops, conferences also reminded the populace world wide of the impending danger posed by the continuous deforestation practices of our forest reserve, bush burning overyrazury, continuos coming and other environment gradation hazards. They panted out little or on concerted eort are made in replacing the deforested areas. They called on the need to embark on a national forestation scheme and forest conservation In Nigeria, there bad been various campaigns for to inhabitants nationally to plant at least one tree crop in his vicinity annually (tree planting compaign) All these would have been uncalled for but for the indispensable role played by agriculture in Nigeria economy, justly this project work, Agriculture sector in developing and under – developed countries. It provides foods required for the teeming population in both the rural land populace. It also provides raw materials for our agricultural industries like Cotton to our textile industries. Agriculture provides employment for about 60% of the labour force in developing countries. Agriculture also provides incomes to individuals, states, and the nation, to the peasant farmers and traders affluce. It provides money as income and means of live holds to the farmer who sells this farm wares to the populace. To the states, like Enugu state the cashew plantation at Ohhe not only provides raw materials to industries but also provide income to the state government and to the nation, it provides a means of export, thereby learning foreign exchange and consequently reducing the chorus balance of payment deficit prevalent in these region