A classification of different phases of development in the export sector of Nigerian agriculture

Abstract

The Nigerian agricultural export sector has been through three different development phases: transition, peak, and de-agriculturalisation. Blending simple international trade theory with actual facts, this study supports the notion that production during the transition phase enjoyed a classical "vent for surplus" type of growth, involving increased utilisation of available factor inputs, which in turn produced increased per capita income. Coupled with the classical factors were several technological packages introduced to farmers in later years. These led to the attainment of output peaks mainly in the 1950s and 1960s. Finally. the study argues that the foundation for de-agriculturalisation was already laid during the peak phase when farmers were taxed heavily, and several agricultural projects were biased against them.