Gender Differences in Access to and Repayment of Bank of Agriculture Loans

Gender differences in access to and repayment of loans seem the reasons behind the persistent subsistence and small scale nature of most agribusinesses in Nigeria. This study, gender differences in access to and repayment of Bank of Agriculture loans among cooperative farmers in Anambra State, Nigeria, specifically estimated gender differences in the bank's loan disbursements and repayments; determinants of loan repayment and constraints to loan repayment. Multistage and random sampling methods were used to select 10 cooperative societies and two hundred beneficiaries (100 men and 100 women) from the bank's list of beneficiaries. Pre-tested questionnaire was used for primary data collection. Collected data were analyzed by means of non-parametric and parametric statistical tools. Findings indicated that the male farmers obtained more of the bank's loans (M=N142,857 or $716) than the females (M=N140,000 or $701), however, the female farmers repaid more (72.14%) of the loans than the males (65.17%). Loan repayment was statistically and significantly determined by type of lending institution, loan amount, annual income and gender. Serious constraints to loan repayment were amount of loan disbursed, family commitment, size of income and excessive bureaucratic procedures. Increasing the maximum amount approved for farmers and curbing excessive bureaucratic procedures would ensure minimal diversion of the loans, higher income for the farmers and better repayment rates