Traditional Salt Processing Activities of Rural Women in Ebonyi State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigates traditional salt processing activities of rural women in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Two LGAs were purposively selected out of the 13 LGAs in the state and a total of 90 respondents were used for the study. Frequency, percentage and mean score were used in data analysis. Most (68%) of the respondents belonged to salt makers group. Majority (98.9%) of the salt makers indicated that their method of salt production involved pan evaporation with firewood. Most (62.9%) of the salt makers engaged in salt production during the dry season. A greater percentage (63.2%) indicated that they fetch brine anytime they want as the need arises. Majority (86.6%) indicated they used ash to filter the brine while majority (97.2%) reported that it takes less than 1 day to filtrate. Most of the women (66.8%) produced 6-10 bags of salt in a month while 53.4% sold 7-10 bags in a month. Findings disclosed that salt makers sold salt at an average price of N3,650. Findings shows that 24.7% earned N10,000- N19,999 per month. Findings also revealed that major contributions of salt making to the wellbeing of households were: medicinal value (M=2.96), payment of children/ward school fees (M=2.96), better feeding and nutrition (M=2.93) among others. The study recommends that government should provide aids to the salt processor by providing the basic infrastructure to improve the quality and quantity of salt produced. Keywords: Salt, women, Ebonyi State