Abstract
Vegetable input and output price behavior is a challenge towards achievement of small, medium and large-scale production which results in the loss of investment capital, hence farmers shifting to other production activities to bridge the income gap. This present study aimed at estimating selected vegetable input and output price behavior in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to; assess the yearly average retail prices of selected vegetables input and output; ascertain the volatile nature of selected vegetable input and output price behavior over time in the study area. Secondary data on quarterly average prices of input (NPK and Organic fertilizers); output(fluted pumpkin, waterleaf, okra, fresh pepper, tomato and garden egg) in ₦/kg covering the period from quarter one (Q1) in 2000 to quarter four (Q4) in 2020 making a total of 84 quarters (21 years) was obtained from AKADEP, Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Economic Development and NBS quarterly publications and long-standing poultry farmers in Akwa Ibom State which were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (GARCH (1,1). The yearly price from 2000 – 2020for fertilizers, indicated that NPK had an average price of ₦3545.04 with a standard deviation of 1811.09 and coefficients of variations of 51.09 indicating the level of disparity. Also, the tomato showed the highest average price (₦219.53) with a calculated standard deviation of ₦92.50 and coefficients of variations of 42.14. Volatility was quite persistent in the study area as indicated by the sum of α1 and β1 (0.98) for all fertilizers and 0.60 for all vegetables. To substantially stabilize these prices, the study recommended that, there must be a concerted effort such as the establishment of agro-allied industries such as fertilizer plant that will ensure production, packaging and distribution of this product for consumption by farmers. This could facilitate a fast-reverting process on volatility persistence in NPK fertilizer in the study area.