Observation

 

(a) Question 6 was avoided by many candidates and poor marks were recorded for most candidates. Candidates who answered this question mixed up items in the liabilities and assets column. Furthermore, they failed to comply with accounting principles.
(b) Few candidates were unable to state the roles of agricultural extension programmes in West Africa.
(c) Many candidates mixed the examples of piercing and sucking insects with those of biting and chewing insects.
The expected answers include:

 

(bi) Meaning of agricultural extension
Agricultural extension is an informal educational service used to spread information on recent improved developments in agricultural production from researchers to farmers through extension agents.

(ii) Roles of agricultural extension programmes in West Africa
- Encourage farmers to increase their productivity
- Help to change farmers’ outlook towards agricultural problems
- Help to supervise beneficiaries of agricultural loans
- Act as linkage between the farmers and research institutes
- Enhance agricultural development programmes
- Teach farmers improved farming and produce processing practices
- Help farmers to identify proper marketing channels for their produce
- Help to raise the standard of living of farmers
- Help to establish confidence in farmers towards self-reliance
- Help farmers in the collection and collation of basic information
- Teach farmers land management techniques

 

(c) Piercing and sucking insect-pests of crops
- Aphid
- Cotton stainer
- Capsid bug/mirid
- Mealy bug
- White fly