A Profit Approach Comparison between Tomato Grown under Organic and Inorganic Methods in a Typical Nigeria’s Soil

The role of tomatoes as nutritive vegetable crop in the diet of most humans has been stressed or advanced by many scientists. This study therefore, assessed the profitability of tomato production using organic and inorganic fertilisers on a typical irrigated soil in Hong Local Government Area, Adamawa State, Nigeria, with the intent of ensuring a more acceptable measure of sustainability among rural farming communities. A total of 120 (60 in each category) producers were purposely selected from 2016/2017 irrigation season for the study. Data were collected through a cost route method by application of structured questionnaire and complemented with interview and group discussions. Descriptive statistics, Gross Margin Analysis and Net Farm Income were engaged in the analysis of data. Findings showed that most of the farmers were married males aged between 31 and 60 years with farming experience ranging from 11 – 20 years. A larger proportion of the farmers had first school leaving certificates and cultivated less than a hectare of farmland. While the most popular organic fertilisers among the farmers were cow dung and small ruminant droppings, Nitrogen-Phosphorus-Potassium 15-15-15 (NPK) fertiliser was largely applied among the respondents. The returns on Naira (₦) invested for users of organic and inorganic fertilisers were 2.5 and 0.73, respectively, signifying that the former farms were more profitable. Conclusively, it can be stated that the application of organic fertilisers yielded more profit than the chemical fertilisers. Therefore, institutions of concern should strongly work towards making the application of organic fertilisers more popular.