CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Rubber plant (Hevea Brasiliensis) was introduced from Brazil to Nigeria around 1895. It is a variety of plant of the genus Hevea (euphorbiaceae) family, native to Brazil. It commonly known as the rubber tree rubber is an important cash crop which contributed sustainably to the Nigerian economy prior to the oil boom. (Aghimien, 2017). In recent years, there has been a drastic reduction in rubber production in Nigeria. A total of 207,500 which represented 86.0% of the country’s land area under rubber cultivation on small holdings in 1966, declined to 147,200 hectares in 1980. Recent field surveys showed that more than two thousand of the small holding has been lost to other crop. Presently, rubber production in Nigeria has decreased and the rubber industries have continued to fold-up (Agra, 1986).