Best Choices for Enhancing Groundnut Productivity in Nigeria

Abstract

Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea), also known as Peanut, is an annual crop commonly grown by smallholder fanners. The name Groundnut can be confusing as the plant is not typically a nut. The plant itself grows above the ground while the nuts (pods) develop and mature underground. It originated from Central America, and its cultivation spread to the rest of the world as an oil-seed crop. In Nigeria, pyramid-like structures made of groundnut sacks were common features in several locations up to the 1970s. These locations included Kofar, Mazugal, Brigade, Bebeji, Malam Madori and Dawakin Kudu. The pyramid structures constituted tourist attractions in Northern Nigeria and symbol of the wealth of the country. These structures gradually disappeared when attention was shifted away from agriculture to crude oil after the 1970s. Recurrent rosette virus outbreaks of 1975,1983,1985 and 1988 also discouraged farmers from groundnut production...