Capability of fabricators in fabrication of special palm oil equipment in Nigeria.

This study assessed some fabricators’ technical know-how in the production or fabrication of machines used for the production of special palm oil (SPO). The study also examined facilities possessed by the fabricator with the aim to providing intervention that would abridge the widening demand gap between the demand and supply of SPO for domestic and industrial applications. Multistage sampling technique was used to select 98 fabricators as respondents across four geopolitical zones where palm oil is produced in Nigeria. A well-structured questionnaire and an observant check list were used to collect data relevant to the objectives of the study from the respondents. The collected data were collated with Epidata application and analyzed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Descriptive statistics such as frequency distribution and mean were used to summarize the data while inferential statistics such as Chi-Square and multiple regression were used to make deductions. Findings of the study showed that majority of the respondents were within the age of bracket of 40 and 49 and had West African Examination Certificate or its equivalent as major educational qualification. Average income generated per year based on their primary occupation and other occupation were $718.01 and $658.18 respectively. There was a highly significant relationship between membership of organization and the information received at p = 0.05 probability level. Majority of the respondents said they learned the art of fabrication informally from someone. They had limited and dysfunction number pieces of equipment for bending, rolling and lathing, which hindered, the fabrication of machines involved in the production of SPO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]