Beekeeping is the manipulation of honey bees for the purpose of honey production and other products, such as bee wax, pollen, propolis, royal jelly and bee venom and for the pollination exercise in the farm. It is the use of forest resources, both cultivated field-orchards, plantation farm and other established farm and uncultivated field-forests of all categories to produce honey and other hive products. Read Document

In Delta State, cassava production has the potential and ability to industrialize the State more than any other crops provided that its potential is properly harnessed. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) (2004), reported that, at national level, Benue and Kogi States in the North Central Zone are the largest producers of cassava while Edo, Cross River, Akwa-Ibom, Rivers and Delta States dominate in cassava production in the South-South zone of Nigeria. Read Document

Delta state is endowed with adequate ecology for capture and culture fisheries. It is rated as one of the potential states in the country with massive fish production from the numerous ponds, lakes, streams, Inlands Rivers, creeks and estuaries. They empty into an extensive coastline of about 163 Kilometres which provides effective and rich fishing grounds for artisanal fisheries.

Output and Productivity Levels: Melon is an economically important crop in Nigeria with yield ranging from 131 to 1005kg/ha (Amali et al, 2013). In the year 2000 and 2005, Delta State recorded an annual yield of 13.3 and 28.8 tons/ha respectively.

Oil palm (Elaesis guineaesis) is one of the major economic perennial agricultural crops grown in Delta State. Oil palm is referred to as NKWU, Onie and Orie by the Ibos, Uhrobos and Isoko’s respectively of Delta State.

Palm oil, one of the major products obtained from oil palm processing, is obtained from the reddish extract of the fibrous layers of fresh palm fruit bunch. The oil is consumed locally in varied meals such as soup, native jolof rice etc (Wilcox and Tasie, 2018). Extracts from the nut is used in the manufacture of soup, candles and some other products (Akangbe et al., 2011). Palm oil contains carotene which is rich in vitamin A (Adeniyi et al; 2014). It is a source of income and livelihood to the rural farmers in the value chain process.
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Pig farming has great potential in Nigeria: thanks to urbanisation and increasing disposable income among urban workers, pork consumption habits have changed radically. Previously, regions in the South were the centres of pork consumption but recently the demand for pork has increased in most towns and cities all over Nigeria. The prospects for pork consumption are further enhanced by the fact that the supply of beef, which accounts for over 70 percent of meat consumption, is largely unsustainable.

Delta state has suitable agro-ecological conditions for rearing of pigs; hence pig can be grown in all parts of the state, Delta North, Delta Central and Delta South. With the growing population and increased government intervention in the pig sub-sector, Delta has the potential to increase pig production to bridge the demand gap.

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In Nigeria, plantain is often grown as backyard crops or intercrop with food crops, such as yams, cassava, vegetables, and cash crops, such as cocoa, kolanuts, rubbers, coffee, etcetera, as shade/cover for young seedlings of such tree crops. Plantain production is mainly in the Southern states of Nigeria, which include Akwa-Ibom, Cross River, Imo, Enugu, Rivers, Edo, Delta, Lagos, Ogun, Osun and Oyo states.

Delta State is bounded in the north by Edo State, in the East by Anambra and Rivers State and in the south by Bayelsa State. The Atlantic Ocean forms the western boundary while the North-West boundary is Ondo State. The State is made up of 25 Local Government Areas and has a population of 4.1 million (NPC, 2006). Delta State has a tropical climate with distinct dry and rainy seasons. The rainy season is mainly from April to October while the dry season is from November to March. The temperature ranges from 29 to 34ºC with an average of about 30ºC (Delta State Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, 2000). The state is divided into 3 Agricultural zones with 25 Local Government Areas (LGAs). The 3 Agricultural Zones include Delta North (9 LGAs), Delta Central (8 LGAs) and Delta South (8LGAs). Delta North consistS of Oshimili South, Oshimili North, Aniocha North, Aniocha South, Ika South, Ika North-East, Ukwani, Ndokwa East and Ndokwa West. Delta Cental consistS of Warri North, Warri South-West, Warri South, Ughelli North, Ughelli South, Sapele, Ethiope West and Ethiope East. Delta South consists of Isoko North, Isoko South, Patani, Bomadi, Okpe, Uvwie, Udu. and Burutu.

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The rice value chain is very important in area of employment generation and wealth creation for the value chain players; input suppliers, rice farmers, transporters, processors and marketers as well as in provision of food for the growing population of the state. Although Delta state is not among the first 10 rice producing states in Nigeria, numerous intervention programme of the present administration has caused positive changes in area under cultivation and total output of rice in the state. For instance, in 2018 the Delta state government trained, established and supported 48 youths to cultivate 96 hectares of rice in two clusters at Deghele, Sapele LGA (42ha) and Mbiri, Ika North-East LGA (54ha). The output from these clusters were fully processed leading to the production of the brand ‘Delta YAGEP Rice’. Through the YAGEP rice production processes, many farmers learnt new, improved production techniques and practices (Okowaplus, 2019). In addition, interaction with some rice stakeholders revealed that the participation of rice farmers in state government -CBN anchor borrower scheme where a total of 178 farmers were supported with vital inputs to cultivate 250 hectares of rice farm in 2017; as  well as the RIFAN-CBN anchor borrower scheme where 60% out of 1,500 registered RIFAN members across the state have received rice production inputs; has increased rice farmers activities in Delta state.

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Tomato is widely grown in Delta State in its diverse agro-ecological zones that cut across the three senatorial zones. It is mostly cultivated in Delta North Senatorial Zone especially in Ika, Aniocha and Oshimili axis where the agro-ecological conditions/factors necessary for growth and production are more favourable.

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The potentials of watermelon as a cash generating crop are significant for farmers especially those residing near the urban areas. Recent reports indicate that exotic vegetables production generally generate higher profit, provide more employment and income to the farmers than those of indigenous vegetables (Isibor & Ugwumba, 2014). According to Oguntola (2006), watermelon is the most preferred among five other exotic vegetables such as cantaloupe, squash, cucumber and pumpkin examined in Ibadan Metropolis of Oyo State, Nigeria.

Watermelon is produced across the three senatorial districts but more predominant in the Delta North part of the state, especially in the Oshimili North (Illah, Ugbolu) and Oshimili south (Asaba, okwe) respectively.

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Yam is an important food security crop and Delta State has high yam production possibilities. Currently total yam consumption is estimated at 1.8 – 2.5 million MT, while the production of 1.2 million metric tons is about 50% of total demand. The implication is that almost 50% o yam consumed in the state comes from other states. The bulk of yam production in the state comes from the north, and central zones. With subsistence proportion from most of the other Local Government Area in the southern zone, the deficit in supply is augmented by imported yam from the northern part of the country. The policy goal of the state’s yam development scheme is to raise production enhancing yields/productivity on already existing farm, and expanding yam cultivation to areas of high potential towards meeting state demand and surplus for export towards this goal

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