International Journal of Agricultural

Science and Research (IJASR)

ISSN(P): 2250-0057; ISSN(E): 2321-0087
Vol. 6, Issue 5, Oct 2016, 147-154
TJPRC Pvt. Ltd

OVERCOMING CONSTRAINTS IN MANGO PRODUCTION IN GHANA

JOHN A. MICAH & EMMANUEL W. INKOOM
University of Cape Coast School of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension Cape Coast, Ghana
ABSTRACT
Mango production in the YiloKrobo Municipality is generally characterized by low yield and productivity due
to certain pertinent constraints facing mango farmers in their production activities. The productivity of the crop has
been persistently low despite various private and public sector interventions. Studies have suggested that one challenge
to productivity growth is the presence of production constraints and how to eliminate them. This study sought to assess
the constraints limiting mango production in the municipality. A multistage sampling technique was used to randomly
select sixty-two registered mango farmers for primary data collection. Descriptive analysis was used to establish the
nature of the constraints. Ranking technique based on the Kendalls W statistics was used in analysing the relative
importance of the constraints. In addition, a multiple regression model was used to assess the possible effect of the
constraints on farmers. The results revealed that some of the major constraints facing mango production in the
municipality were access to skilled labour, access to credit, and pests and diseases. The Kendall W statistic revealed a

model revealed that among the various constraints; access to extension service, availability of storage facilities,
acquisition of fertilizers and the incidence of fruit dropping had significant effect on the profit margin of mango
farmers. Overcoming these constraints in mango production therefore requires an integrated agro-industrial
development framework centered on a micro-enterprise and public-private partnership policies.
KEYWORDS : Mango Fruit, Production, Constraints And Profit Margin

Original Article

strong degree of agreement among mango farmers concerning the constraints limiting their productivity. The regression

Received: Jul 07, 2016; Accepted: Aug 31, 2016; Published: Sep 03, 2016; Paper Id.: IJASROCT201618

INTRODUCTION
Rationale for the Study
Mango is globally considered as one of the finest fruits and important crop in tropical and subtropical
regions of the world (Krishnan, Nailwal, Shukla, & Pant, 2009).The cultivation of mango is a major farming
activity in the YiloKrobo Municipality of Ghana. Ghana has been identified as one of the countries with a
comparative advantage of having a bimodal mango production system. Following the economic prospects and
potential presented by the cultivation of the crop, there has been both private and public sector interventions to
enable the country obtain the optimum benefits from mango production. In Ghana, the YiloKrobo Municipality is
the only area in the country credited with a bimodal production system. (Ministry of Food and Agriculture
[MoFA], 2013). Over the years, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in an attempt to assist farmers improve on
their output and productivity has collaborated with various agencies and institutions like ADRA and MiDA to
provide technical and logistic support to mango farmers in the YiloKrobo Municipality. In spite of the economic
prospect identified in mango production and the various private and public interventions, the productivity and
output of mango farmers in the YiloKrobo Municipality is still low. Empirical evidence indicates that farmers are
not able to produce the optimum output level of 12000kg/hectare of mango fruit (Ministry of Food and Agriculture

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John A. Micah & Emmanuel W. Inkoom

[MoFA], 2014). In order to understand what is accounting for this situation, it is imperative to investigate the reasons
accounting for mango farmers inability to produce at the optimum levels that maximize their revenue and profit margin.
The study therefore sought to provide an empirical assessment of constraints in mango production in the YiloKrobo
Municipality. Specifically, the assessment focused on the nature of the constraints, the relative importance of the
constraints and the possible effects of these constraints on profit margins of mango farmers in the municipality.

CONCEPTUAL AND THEORETICAL UNDERPINNINGS

The importance of the agricultural sector to the economy of Ghana since independence cannot be overstated.
However, one phenomenon that is characteristic of agricultural production in Ghana is where farmers are faced with the
decision on how to maximize their productivity subject to numerous production constraints. For the purpose of this work,
production constraints are factors that limit farmers ability to achieve their production objective as best possible.
Generally, many of these constraints are inter-related and exert variable limitations on the productivity and efficiency of
farmers. Following development strategies, overcoming these constraints are dependent on proper understanding of the
issues and the effects of these constraints on agricultural output. Goldratt in his novel, The Goal, proposed a theory of
constraints for management to adopt in their efforts to optimize their production objective of profit maximization.
He suggested that, for firms to realize their production objective, they must identify and remove what he called the
weakness along their production chain (Goldratt & Cox, 2014). Following Godratt theory, every bottleneck that exists in
the train of farmers having more profit is considered as a constraint. Thus, if farm firm can handle constraints in their
production system and manage them well, they would have a continuous improvement in their productivity. This simple
logic has pushed researchers to investigate the challenges limiting farmers ability to increase their productivity as well as
reasons accounting for low productivity in farm output.
The proposition therefore has been that the identification and elimination of production constraints would provide
the gateway to foster a more rapid growth and development in the agricultural sector. To better place and get agriculture to
play its role in economic development especially in the developing and underdeveloped world, studies have been carried
out to find out some of the major constraints limiting growth in the agricultural sector. For instance, a study conducted by
Van Melle & Buschmann, (2013)on the comparative analysis of mango value chain models in Benin, Burkina Faso and
Ghana, revealed that the major constraints facing mango farmers include quality issues, poor negotiation power, high
transaction cost and lack of irrigation infrastructures. Okorleyet al,(2014) indicated that fluctuating market price of the
fresh fruit, pests and diseases, especially the mango fruit flies, and inadequate funds were some of the major constraints to
most mango farmers inthe Dangme West District of Ghana. In addition, Abdul-Razaket al, (2015)opined that some of the
major challenges facing mango farmers in the Savelugu/Nanton Municipality in the Northern Region of Ghana were
disease and pest attacks, low yields, bushfire outbreaks, lack of cash credit, inadequate inputs, lack of irrigation, no flexible
contract terms and delayed payment. Furthermore, Hussen & Yimer, (2013)opined that irrigation water scarcity, pest and
disease and technology limitation were some of the major constraints to mango production in Bati, Oromiya Zone,
Ethiopia. In addition, Abu, et al, (2011) posited that one major constraint in mango production is the high wastage of fruits
during harvesting, particularly of the exotic mango varieties. A study by Ugese, et al, (2012) onmango fruit production and
production constraints in Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State revealed that constraints to mango production in
the order of importance were pests and diseases, high perishability of fruit, inadequate farm labour, low price and poor
yield.

Impact Factor (JCC): 4.8136

NAAS Rating: 3.53

Overcoming Constraints in Mango Production in Ghana

149

DATA TYPES, SOURCES, AND COLLECTION METHODS

A cross sectional research design was used for the study. Primary data were obtained from individual mango
farmers using a structured interview schedule, focus group discussion, and observation. A multistage sampling technique
was used in obtaining the sample for the study. In the first sampling stage, the Yilokrobo Municipality was purposively
selected for the study. This was based on its comparative advantage of having a bimodal system in mango production in
Ghana. A list of all registered mango farmers in the municipality was then obtained to form the sampling frame of two
hundred and seventy six-mango farmers for the study. At the second stage, to minimize the effect of yield differential due
to plant age, a stratified sampling technique was used to divide the farmers into two groups. Farmers whose farm
establishment was seven years and above were put into one category and farmers whose farms was below seven years in
another group. Mango farmers whose farm establishment was seven years and above were then selected to form a sample
of eighty-five mango farmers. Furthermore, fruit production is considered to be on the optimal scale from the seventh year
onwards where farmers are able to produce economically marketable output size. Though the study aimed at covering all
the eighty-five mango farmers, due to certain inherent constraints this was not possible. It was therefore necessary to work
out a sample size that would be a good representation. Using a sample size determination method proposed by Sarantakos,
(2012) a sample size of sixty-two farmers was found appropriate. Subsequently, the sixty-two farmers were randomly
selected and contacted for data collection.

ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK AND TECHNIQUES

Descriptive analysis was used to show the nature of the constraints faced by mango farmers in the YiloKrobo
Muncipality. Ranking technique based on Kendalls coefficient of concordance was used to establish the relative
importance of the constraints confronting the mango farmers. The idea of this statistic is to find the sum of ranks for each
constraint rated and then examine variability of this sum. The analysis is a statistical procedure that is used to identify and
rank a given constraints from the most constraining one to the least constraining one, using numerals in the order
1,2,3,4.m. The degree of concordance between these constraints is then measured after the ranking. The total rank score
computed is then used to estimate the Coefficient of Concordance (W), which measures the degree of agreement
(concordance) in the rankings. To derive the formula for W, the sum of all ranks in data, given as Kendalls W picks the
value of one when the ranks assigned by each farmer are the same as those assigned by other farmers
(indicating total agreement among producers). On the other hand, if Kendalls W becomes zero, there is a total
disagreement among the farmers. The Kendalls W can be expressed as follows:

w=

12{ K 2 ( K ) 2 } / m
m 2 (m2 1)

(1)

Where: w = coefficient of concordance

K = sum of ranks for each constraint being ranked,

= number of constraints being ranked and

m = number of mango farmers
Total mean score for each constraint ranked was calculated and the constraints with the highest mean score was

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John A. Micah & Emmanuel W. Inkoom

rank as the most pressing whereas the one with the lowest mean score was rank as the least pressing constraint.
In the study, the relative importance of the constraints associated with mango production in the YiloKrobo municipality
was measured on a score of 1 to 10 in terms of magnitude.
To assess the possible effects of the constraints on profit margin of mango farmers, a multiple regression model
was adopted and this was specified as

(2)
Where

represents the average profit per unit output of mango; Zs represent the constraints factors;

represents the stochastic error term and the

s represent the unknown parameters to be estimated which explain the

marginal effect of the constraints on mango farmers profit margin.

PRESENTATION OF MAJOR ANALYSES AND FINDINGS

Nature of Constraints
In general, the study revealed that the constraints faced by mango farmers in the YiloKrobo Municipality could be
categorised into four main factors, namely: input related factors, marketing related factors, institution related factors and
production activity related factors. Under the input related constraints, farmers listed factors such as accessibility and high
cost of inputs, access to credits and availability of skilled labour as some of the pressing constraints to mango production.
In addition, farmers mentioned access to transportation systems, fluctuating market price for mango fruits, and access to
export market as some of the marketing related constraint. Farmers indicated that about institutional factors, land tenure
systems, and access to government support as some of the institutional factors limiting their production potentials.
Moreover, issues such as pest and disease control, effective pruning, harvesting, and fruit drops were mentioned as some of
the production activity related constraints limiting mango farmers productivity in the YiloKrobo Municipality.
The Relative Importance of the Constraints
Table 1 presents results on the relative importance of the constraints faced by mango farmers in the YiloKrobo
Municipality. From the results, access to skilled labour had the highest mean rank of 15.56. This implies that based on
mango farmers assessment, it is the most important constraint in mango production. Farmers indicated that, access to
skilled labour especially for pruning, harvesting, and other technical activities was very difficult. They stated that not
getting skilled labour for timely pruning was seriously affecting canopy size control, which is key determinant to
productivity increases. They also indicated that to avoid extensive bruising to fruit, harvesting procedure is very technical
and needs skilled personnel to handle. This finding agrees with Jawale & Ghulghule, (2015) who posited that scarcity of
labour was a major constraint to Kesar mango growers in districts of Marathwada region.
Access to credit and acquisition of land for production was the second and third important constraints,
respectively. Farmers stated that due to difficulty in accessing credit either from formal or informal sources, they had to
depend on their own savings to finance their production business. This they said was inadequate given the huge capital
investment required. In addition, farmers indicated that credit conditions in terms of interest rate, collaterals, and loan
processing procedures were not favourable making credit accessibility difficult. This subsequently impacted negatively on
their productivity level, profit level and farm investment. This finding agrees with the World Bank report, which stipulates
that lack of access to credit is a major constraint facing African countries (World Bank, 2007).
Impact Factor (JCC): 4.8136

NAAS Rating: 3.53

Overcoming Constraints in Mango Production in Ghana

151

Table 1: Ranking of Constraints by Mango Farmers in Terms of Magnitude Given a Scale of 1 To 10

Constraints
Access to skilled labour
Access to credit
Acquisition of land for production
Access to government support
Pests and disease control
Fruit dropping
High inputs cost
Access to ready export market
Availability of agro-processing factory in the area
Fluctuation in output price
Availability of good storage facility in the area
Access to ready local market
Availability of good grading systems for fruits
Access to good transport facility
Acquisition of pesticides
Acquisition of fertilizers
Access to extension services
Source: Field Data, 2014

Mean
9.92
9.74
9.60
9.58
9.60
9.44
9.19
9.00
8.98
8.61
6.68
3.10
3.13
1.85
1.56
1.53
1.42

SD
0.33
0.57
0.59
0.64
0.59
0.72
0.74
0.79
0.66
0.71
1.99
0.78
0.86
1.04
0.82
0.67
0.80

Min
8
7
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
1
2
1
1
1
1
1

Max
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
5
5
5
5
5
5

Mean Ranks
15.56
14.86
14.29
14.15
14.14
13.58
12.69
12.05
11.76
10.70
9.04
6.15
6.12
3.77
3.31
3.30
2.91

On acquisition of land for production, farmers indicated that, the land tenure system, land security and land
litigation are major causes of difficulty in accessing land for agricultural production. Furthermore, respondents gave
competition by estate developers for land as one cause of limited access to agricultural lands. This finding is consistent
with the annual report of MoFA, (2012) in which land was identified as a major constraint to mango production in Ghana
in terms of access and security. Land plays a fundamental role in facilitating agricultural revolution, growth, and
development and as such limited access to land for agricultural production becomes a major concern to any economy to
which agriculture is a major contributor to its GDP.
Contrary to the general trend, mango farmers access to extension service in the YiloKrobo municipality was
much better. As shown in Table 1, access to extension service was the least ranked. This suggests that monitoring by MoFA
in ensuring farmers adopt recommended techniques and procedures in production were very intensive.

The

investigation revealed that, regular trainings on good agronomic practices were often organized for mango farmers by both
government and private agencies.
Test for the Degree of Agreement among Mango Farmers Concerning the Relative Importance of the Constraints
The Kendalls coefficient of concordance was used to test the degree of agreement among mango farmers on the
relative importance of the constraints facing mango production in the YiloKrobo Municipality in the Eastern Region of
Ghana. From the results shown in Table 2, there was a high degree of agreement among mango farmers given the high
value of Kendalls W of 0.864. Intuitively, this implies a high level of consensus among farmers concerning the relative
importance of constraints that limit their productivity potentials.

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John A. Micah & Emmanuel W. Inkoom

Table 2: Kendalls W Statistics

N
Kendall's W
Chi-Square
Df
Asymp. Sig.

62
.864
911.108
17
.000

Source: Field Data, 2014

The Possible Effects of the Constraints on Mango Farmers Profit Margin
To evaluate the possible effects of the constraints on mango farmers welfare, the individual constraints were
regressed against the average profit per unit of output. This was to gain an insight about the effect of the production
constraints on the profit margin of mango farmers. The regression output gave an F-statistic of 2.34 with a p-value of 0.01
which suggests that the model as a whole shows a good fit. In addition, the coefficient of determination was found to be
0.533 which implies that the proportion of the variance explained by the model was about 53 percent. This intuitively
implies the model used has a good predictive capability.
The results as shown in the Table 3, revealed two possible effects (negative and positive effects) of the constraints
on farmers profit margin per unit output. Intuitively, it can be deduced from the regression output that when production
constraints are allowed to persist, they impact negatively on mango farmers welfare by reducing their profit margin per
unit of output. On the other hand if systems are put in place to eliminate the constraints, they would translate into positive
effects on mango farmers welfare through increase in their profit margin per unit output.
Table 3: Possible Effects of the Constraints on Mango Farmers Profit Margin
Constraints Variables
Parameter estimates
Std. Error
Intercept
0.232*
0.054
Access to quality seedlings
-0.008
0.019
Access to credit
-0.029
0.215
Access to extension service
0.043*
0.017
Access to government support
0.008
0.015
Access to good transport systems
0.009
0.015
Access of skilled labour
0.053
0.036
Availability of storage facilities
0.107*
0.038
Acquisition of fertilizers
0.037
0.033
Acquisition of pesticides
-0.078*
0.036
Acquisition of land for production
0.013
0.016
Access to export market for fruit
0.011
0.016
Access to local market for fruit
0.368
0.034
Availability of good grading system
-0.027
0.030
Availability of agro-processing factories
-0.005
0.017
Pest and disease control
-0.017
0.016
Fluctuation in output price
0.016
0.016
High input cost
0.030**
0.017
Fruit dropping
-0.032*
0.015
Effective Pruning
0.019
0.021
Harvesting of fruit
-0.006
0.015
Source: Field Data, 2014. significance level: *,**; = 5% and 10% respectively

T Value
4.287
-0.421
-1.358
2.477
0.517
0.617
1.484
2.798
1.120
-2.152
0.851
0.726
1.079
0.890
-0.286
-1.049
1.052
1.827
-2.197
0.914
-0.362

In addition, the results as shown in Table 3 revealed that among the various constraints, access to extension
service, availability of storage facilities, acquisition of fertilizers and the incidence of fruit dropping had significant effect
on farmers profit margin. This intuitively means that given the current situation, these constraints require immediate
Impact Factor (JCC): 4.8136

NAAS Rating: 3.53

Overcoming Constraints in Mango Production in Ghana

153

attention. For instance, enhancing farmers access to quality extension services has the capacity to improve mango farmers
welfare to a significant extent in terms of increasing their profit margin. Likewise, allowing the occurrence of high fruit
dropping incidence reduces mango farmers profit margin significantly.

CONCLUSIONS

Farmers ranked the access to skilled labour, access to credit, access to productive land, high input cost, and pest
and disease infestations as some of the major constraints limiting their productive capacity in that order of
importance

The Kendalls coefficient of concordance test revealed an independent and strong degree of agreement among the
farmers on the constraints.

Among the various constraints, access to extension service, availability of storage facilities, acquisition of
fertilizers and the incidence of fruit dropping had the most significant effect on farmers profit margin.

IMPLICATIONS OF FINDINGS FOR POLICY AND FURTHER RESEARCH

Intuitive appreciation of the effect of these constraints suggest that, overcoming them requires an integrated agroindustrial development framework centered on a micro-enterprise and public private partnership policies to direct and
attract the right kind of investment into the sector. In addition, governments agricultural support policies should factor the
issue of equity and fair treatment in relation to their accessibility.
To have a more comprehensive overview of the state of mango production and the constraints facing the industry
across the geographical landscape of Ghana, further research should be carried out in the other mango growing areas of
Ghana.
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Impact Factor (JCC): 4.8136

NAAS Rating: 3.53